Welcome!

**Ken** · 10-15-2007, 03:01 AM

Welcome, new Lose to Win members! Please use this thread to make your introductions and to state your goals if you like.

Personally, I hope to get back in to fighting shape over the next year, especially with my 8-year old bouncing around me constantly. I'm not afraid to admit I have a sizable amount to lose, so it's going to be a long road for me. Over the next week I'll be posting the method for making progress reports using our chart system and health calculator. Look for regular new weight-loss articles to appear in the Lose to Win Articles subforum. If you would like to submit an article, please contact the VGEvo.com Administrators (like myself or Terry), or SaberG and Nermassa (the Lose to Win Zone Co-Leaders).

Again, welcome, and I hope you find this community supportive and informative.

-- Ken

**Shino** · 10-15-2007, 10:15 AM

Hihi. Shino here.

My real name is Christopher Riccio. I'm about 5'8" and currently weigh about 225lbs.

I do have a large build however. I did have a lot of success a few years ago with the South Beach Diet. Between that, my martial arts, and Cardio Kickboxing, I went from ~230 to 175. And even on the most aggressive stage of the diet, that's where I ended up. I still had a little bit of a tummy at that point, but the rest of my body ended up pretty cut. You could see the specific muscles in my Quads. Then I went of the diet and gained all the weight back.

I got fed up when I almost reached 250. I was at about 248 when I joined a personal training facility. That was back in March or so. Since then, I've also tried out Nutrisystem and have had some success with it.

I've gone from 248 to 225 and am continuing to lose more over time.

So... my starting point I guess is 225. My goal is to be below 200 again.

I'm fitting into size 38 pants comfortably right now... I want to get back into my 36s.

**SaberG** · 10-15-2007, 02:22 PM

Glad to be a part of this opportunity!

I have tried many diets, including: South Beach, Weight Watchers, Diabetic Exchanges, and I'm sure there are more, I just can't think of any now. I have high cholesterol (it's all my father's fault - heredity!).

I am 5'2", never ask a girl how much she weighs - I'll just say I'm more than 150 and under 200. I'll try to find a picture to post tonight.

My weight goal is 130 lbs., which is where I should be for my height anyhow. I already eat pretty healthy, getting in the veggies and fruits doesn't always work, but I do my best. I drink about 80-100 oz. of water a day. I try to stay within my daily caloric intake, but sometimes I just have to have my sweets. We switched over to Coke Zero a year or two ago (when it was first introduced) and use Splenda instead of sugar (made this switch while doing South Beach, I believe, two or three years ago).

I really need to get off my butt and exercise though. I was a member of Curves for Women almost two years ago and stopped going before my contract ran out (hence I canceled my membership and haven't done anything in this aspect since). I do try to park further away from the door at the office (but with colder weather coming...) and I try to go to our downstairs office to get water.

Guess that sums it up for me.

Good luck to everyone in this challenge!

**Trickman** · 10-16-2007, 12:35 AM

Hey there. I'm "Trickman" Terry of old school EGM fame. Anyone who remembers me or had seen previous pictures of me probably saw a guy who weighed between 175 and 185 lbs. I'm now averaging between 220 and 225. So I'd be pretty happy with about a 40 pound weight loss at this point.

Sweets aren't a terrible temptation for me, but I love steak, burgers, bacon and pretty much any other meat that is considered "bad" for you. I like fried food too, which doesn't help either. I've done my best to cut down the fries, and I'm on Coke Zero instead of regular Coke. But that doesn't seem to be enough. And with carbs such as coffee cake and chips staring me in the face at work, it's a real temptation just to walk by and grab something that's bad for me and eat it at my desk. I try to eat raw fruits and veggies at work for snacks, but I get really hungry after eating carrots, and I don't understand why.

Health problems are creeping up and some of them are already upon me such as acid reflux and sleep apnea. I need to do this so I can feel better, look better and have overall better health. Wish me luck!

**Shino** · 10-16-2007, 11:32 AM

Hey guys...
Switching to Coke Zero doesn't help as much as you think. Soda, even without calories, causes weight gain due to all the syrups they use.

I have that problem too. I love my Diet Coke, but do my best to stay away from it when I can. I've started drinking the Diet V8 Splash. It's got a bunch of vitamins and stuff and it's only 10 calories / 8 oz.

My biggest problem... Beer. Man I love a good Pint! Since I started trying to lose weight I've been TRYING to limit myself to 2 a week during happy hour... but that doesn't always work.

**Nijhazer** · 10-16-2007, 11:36 PM

Syrups aren't the only problem with sodas. The carbonation stimulates your appetite, tempting you (and usually causing you) to eat more food. I drink iced tea sweetened with Splenda; it helps to cut down on the craving for sweets, and it's very refreshing. But I drink a ridiculous amount of it-- somewhere in between two to three gallons per week, possibly more. Karen calls me "The Tea Camel".

I'm 6'0 and currently weigh 246 pounds. Anyone who has seen me knows that I am objectively hideous. Weight loss won't do much about that, but it will help; and I'll feel a lot better. To that end, I've been on Boric's diet, in which I consume 1200 calories or less per day. Most people with whom I've discussed the diet say that 1200 calories is too limiting, but it's actually working really well. The key is, as with any diet, to continuously feed your metabolism by eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day. This helps keep your energy up even if you're eating lower-calorie foods.

**Nermassa** · 10-17-2007, 07:40 PM

Hi All,
Like many of you, I too have struggle just about my whole life with weight issues. I have tried many ways of losing weight all of which were restrictive and as a result not long lasting. I am 5'8" and it got to the point where I was 183 lbs. before I said enough is enough. I have been following Weight Watchers Flex Points program for about 6 weeks and have lost 13 lbs by eating the foods I like in sensible portions. I have discovered many ways to cook many of the foods I love in low fat and low calorie ways. Many of which I will share with you here. I want to strongly encourage anyone here to take part in this challenge even if you only want to lose a couple pounds or eat a little better. Remember we are all a support system for each other and together we can be successful!

**Trickman** · 10-19-2007, 04:09 PM

Great info about the soda (I call it pop). Mass media would have you believe just the opposite, as if you are not still ingesting something bad for you.

I'm sure I won't do well if I just cut out all the food I love to eat and just drink water all day, so I plan on trying the iced tea idea from M.C. to get my sweet drink fill. Following some posted recipes will help too.

I'm glad to see so many like-minded people willing to give this a try. Thanks for indulging us with your thoughts and comments. We're glad you want to be part of this. If it helps a few people with their health and the way they feel about themselves, it was all worth it.

Nermassa and SaberG have done an outstanding job so far. Please thank them for heading up this endeavor when you get a chance.

**Boric** · 10-19-2007, 11:23 PM

Hello all! I'm currently 6'1" tall and 191 lbs as of this morning. I'm sure some are wondering why I'm even here with that. But I'm still in the midst of a diet that I've been working on for 3 months now.

First a little history: I had gotten up to 215 previously about a year back. However after having two kidney stones in two consecutive years, I decided to pretty much completely cut out all sodas. Just by simply cutting my soda intake from a few cans a day to none. I managed to lose a decent amount of weight (10-15 lbs) over the next few months. However slowly but surely, my weight started going back up, and 3 months ago I hit the 215 mark again, but without any soda intake (98% water being drank). This size was making my size 36 pants a bit too tight, and I was on the verge of needing 38s.

Suddenly I asked my wife about the diet she used to do back in high school. She mentioned it was a simple calorie restriction diet. No more than 1200 calories a day while also trying to watch fat intake. I surprised her by quickly following up with "I'm going on that diet right now". Vanessa was quite amazed with my resolve but also agreed we both could stand to lose some weight. So the very next day... it began... barely a week before my birthday (bad planning here

). I mentioned it to MC the first night, and he actually decided to go on a similar diet as well, starting the day after us.

Since that day (July 29th I believe), I've been weighing myself first thing every single morning with the same amount of clothing on. I've marked that down on an Excel Spreadsheet, along with keeping up with every single thing I ate for every meal and for snacks. I started off recording calories as well, but eventually stopped that due to a lack of information at some restaurants and when visiting family and friends. So currently I have a spreadsheet tracking my daily weight and every single meal for just shy of three solid months. It's been quite helpful in realizing what meals didn't work out as well as I'd thought, as well as helping me understand that there's quite the variance in weight your body can naturally have from day to day.

My original goal weight was 190 lbs, which I have hit on previous days just this past week. However I'd like to trim just a bit more of my gut away, so I'm now aiming for 180, and then plan to stay within 180-190 range.

Sadly throughout my diet I have not supplemented well with exercise. My Cobalt Flux DDR pad has seen barely any use, and it would probably help tone me up as well. But after nearly 10 years of DDR, my back, abdomen, and feet have really complained to me lately about the impact that game has had on my body. Nothing serious, but enough lately that I just haven't been able to get back to playing.

Anyhow, good luck all!

**SaberG** · 10-21-2007, 01:09 AM

Every single restaurant is supposed to have nutrition facts available to the consumer. If you ask, they are supposed to give them to you or direct you to where you can get them. So, if it's not on their menu, ask, they may direct you to their website, but you'll at least have an idea of the calories your intaking.