Blonde will make thin ....Here we go again !

[arbboy]

Great first post, arbboy and best of luck through the process, have a feeling you won't need it, as i think you have your mind made up on it, like i did with my first post on here.

With your history of being an athlete and still to this day keeping up with a lot of swimming, if you change your diet the weight will drip off of you.

Sounds like your being tempted by going vegan initially to give you a kick start and that is great, as if done properly, you will lose a lot of weight from just the diet alone without the exercise which always helps! And you won't feel a lack of energy, or would need to calorie count that much really, you can just listen to your body when it is full.

What I am following is what is recommended by Dr.Esselstyn in his book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002

He basically calls his diet the one needed for optimal health and guarantees that if you stuck to it for a lifetime you can basically never have a heart attack and a host of other chronic illnesses, and says it is the best diet for cardio health available. Which is why I am trying to stick to it, as I need all the help i can get to get out of the rut. It is backed up by pretty convincing scientific evidence too. The book is only a 100 pages long, and the rest is made up of recipes to try, so it doesn't take that long to get through if you fancy a read.

I have been pretty ill disciplined despite my good results and know if i stuck to the advice given in that book from the start 100% i would have lost a lot more weight and felt even better. I am now not messing around and touching anything I shouldn't until the end of the year, as I am really fascinated by just how good I could feel on this diet.

The diet is effectively vegan, with no oils, nuts and caffeine. It is reliant on wholemeal bread and pasta rather than the white versions, potatoes, brown rice, lentils, beans, vegetables and fruits. You can eat as much as you want of all of those really, pegging back only on the fruit, i think only 5 pieces a day are recommended by him. You will feel full on it and have a lot more energy, probably, going into your swimming. Something to look into if you fancy a decent read.

Also Dr.Ornish with his 'spectrum' too is good here: http://www.ornishspectrum.com/proven-program/nutrition/

He gives you much more scope to eat more poorly than Esselstyn does, but if you want the quickest results I would go with Esselstyn.

Whatever you settle on best of luck, and here to support you along the way.

My girlfriend is virtually vegan although she eats fish now and again so cutting out red meat wouldn't be a problem short term to see what impact it has.   I have never gone more than a few days from eating red meat.   I don't plan on cutting out fish or chicken though probably eating each only once or twice a week.  Portion sizes are the key for me alongside keeping it going after the first 2 or 3 weeks.  During my training days i was literally eating everything i could to gain strength/size so i got into habits of literally being able to eat whatever i wanted at whatever time i wanted.  This is definitely the hardest adjustment for me as i do love eating.

[Ant040689]

Great first post, arbboy and best of luck through the process, have a feeling you won't need it, as i think you have your mind made up on it, like i did with my first post on here.

With your history of being an athlete and still to this day keeping up with a lot of swimming, if you change your diet the weight will drip off of you.

Sounds like your being tempted by going vegan initially to give you a kick start and that is great, as if done properly, you will lose a lot of weight from just the diet alone without the exercise which always helps! And you won't feel a lack of energy, or would need to calorie count that much really, you can just listen to your body when it is full.

What I am following is what is recommended by Dr.Esselstyn in his book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002

He basically calls his diet the one needed for optimal health and guarantees that if you stuck to it for a lifetime you can basically never have a heart attack and a host of other chronic illnesses, and says it is the best diet for cardio health available. Which is why I am trying to stick to it, as I need all the help i can get to get out of the rut. It is backed up by pretty convincing scientific evidence too. The book is only a 100 pages long, and the rest is made up of recipes to try, so it doesn't take that long to get through if you fancy a read.

I have been pretty ill disciplined despite my good results and know if i stuck to the advice given in that book from the start 100% i would have lost a lot more weight and felt even better. I am now not messing around and touching anything I shouldn't until the end of the year, as I am really fascinated by just how good I could feel on this diet.

The diet is effectively vegan, with no oils, nuts and caffeine. It is reliant on wholemeal bread and pasta rather than the white versions, potatoes, brown rice, lentils, beans, vegetables and fruits. You can eat as much as you want of all of those really, pegging back only on the fruit, i think only 5 pieces a day are recommended by him. You will feel full on it and have a lot more energy, probably, going into your swimming. Something to look into if you fancy a decent read.

Also Dr.Ornish with his 'spectrum' too is good here: http://www.ornishspectrum.com/proven-program/nutrition/

He gives you much more scope to eat more poorly than Esselstyn does, but if you want the quickest results I would go with Esselstyn.

Whatever you settle on best of luck, and here to support you along the way.

My girlfriend is virtually vegan although she eats fish now and again so cutting out red meat wouldn't be a problem short term to see what impact it has.   I have never gone more than a few days from eating red meat.   I don't plan on cutting out fish or chicken though probably eating each only once or twice a week.  Portion sizes are the key for me alongside keeping it going after the first 2 or 3 weeks.  During my training days i was literally eating everything i could to gain strength/size so i got into habits of literally being able to eat whatever i wanted at whatever time i wanted.  This is definitely the hardest adjustment for me as i do love eating.

If you followed this diet you could eat as much as you want and still lose weight. Which may see it be perfect for you, as it was for me. You would lose it regardless of that much exercise, and you wouldn't have to calorie count which i found to be the main reason i couldn't stick to any diet before.

Something to consider. I too was a meat eater my whole life for nearly 24 years up until around the end of January, but perhaps i shouldn't have been because this feels so much better.

[arbboy]

I have no idea why i have found it relatively easy to stay at 19/20 stone and not get bigger in the last 5 years.  I am hoping if i lose 4/5 stone and get to 15 stone then i will be able to maintain 15 stone under the same diet as the one i am maintaining 19/20 stone on.  Not sure if this makes sense as well.

Alcohol consumption is also a big factor for me although this has got substantially better in the last few years compared to my peak drinking years from 2003-2008 when my alcohol consumption was extreme to say the least and was possibly the major reason for my weight gain from 14 to 19 stone between these years.

I run some quick figures on calories in beers at 240 cals per pint (i only ever drunk strong lagers ie Stella/1664 etc) and at 20 pints a week that equates to 250k in calories per year.  Given each lb in weight loss requires a reduction in calories of 3500.  I roughly calculated i should in theory lose 250,000/3500 = 70lbs or 5 stone in a year just by totally giving up drinking alone if my average consumption was 20 pints a week.  Are my calculations correct here?

[teamonkey]

kind of in theory yes

however, i think i'm right in saying that although there are, for example, 200 calories in a pint, as our bodies are not 100% efficient at removing all the energy from what we put into our bodies, so we will not absorb, use, and store the full 200 calories. So therefore you cant just say i'm not drinking (number X) pints  @ 200 calories so i'll lose  Y in weight

what the exact figures are i do not know, much more knowledgeable might be able to answer that

but cutting out exesive booze is not a bad thing

PS, are you the same arbboy that had some awesome arguments on the old betfair poker forum? i spent many hours chuckling at some of those threads in years gone bye

[arbboy]

kind of in theory yes

however, i think i'm right in saying that although there are, for example, 200 calories in a pint, as our bodies are not 100% efficient at removing all the energy from what we put into our bodies, so we will not absorb, use, and store the full 200 calories. So therefore you cant just say i'm not drinking (number X) pints  @ 200 calories so i'll lose  Y in weight

what the exact figures are i do not know, much more knowledgeable might be able to answer that

but cutting out exesive booze is not a bad thing

PS, are you the same arbboy that had some awesome arguments on the old betfair poker forum? i spent many hours chuckling at some of those threads in years gone bye

yes that makes sense.  I thought my calcs would be too easy and simple to be reality.

I am the same arbboy as betfair although more mellow nowadays as i approach 40!

[vegaslover]

Starting weight:        16st  4lb
9th   Jan 2014   :      15st  11lb
16th Jan 2014   :      15st   8lb
23th  Jan 2014  :      15st 7lb
30th Jan 2014   :      15st 7lb
 6th Feb 2014   :      15st 8lb
13th Feb 2014  :       15st 9lb
20th Feb 2014 :        15st 12lb
27th Feb 2014 :        16st   0lb
 6th  Mar 2014 :        16st   2lb
13th Mar 2014:         16st   1lb
20th Mar 2014:         16st   0lb
27th Mar 2014:         15st  11lb
 4th Mar 2014:          15st   9lb

Total loss          :          9lb

[leethefish]

Starting weight 17 stone 10lb

Week 1 17s 5lb 5lb loss

Week 2 17st 3 lb 2lb loss

Week 3 17st 1lb  2lb loss

Week 4 16 st 10lb 5 lb loss

Week 5 16 st  11lb    1 lb gain

Week 6 16 st  9lb 2lb loss

Week 7 16 st  8lb 1 lb loss

week 8 16st 5lb 3lb loss

week 9 16 stone 3lb  2lb loss

week 10 .............16 stone      3 lb loss

Week 11.  16 stone 4 lb. 4 lb gain

week 12 16 stone 4lb (no loss no gain)

really happy with this week worked hard working away and watched what i eat all week but eating out all week was tough especially on Tuesday when i turned 40 !

a few to many beers but hey ho !

tough night tonight as i am at Chinese buffet eat as much as you can like with friends & family

one week at home then its off to Vegas ..........

[Ant040689]

Starting weight:        16st  4lb
9th   Jan 2014   :      15st  11lb
16th Jan 2014   :      15st   8lb
23th  Jan 2014  :      15st 7lb
30th Jan 2014   :      15st 7lb
 6th Feb 2014   :      15st 8lb
13th Feb 2014  :       15st 9lb
20th Feb 2014 :        15st 12lb
27th Feb 2014 :        16st   0lb
 6th  Mar 2014 :        16st   2lb
13th Mar 2014:         16st   1lb
20th Mar 2014:         16st   0lb
27th Mar 2014:         15st  11lb
 4th Mar 2014:          15st   9lb

Total loss          :          9lb

Great progress last month and this, well done.

[Ant040689]

Starting weight 17 stone 10lb

Week 1 17s 5lb 5lb loss

Week 2 17st 3 lb 2lb loss

Week 3 17st 1lb  2lb loss

Week 4 16 st 10lb 5 lb loss

Week 5 16 st  11lb    1 lb gain

Week 6 16 st  9lb 2lb loss

Week 7 16 st  8lb 1 lb loss

week 8 16st 5lb 3lb loss

week 9 16 stone 3lb  2lb loss

week 10 .............16 stone      3 lb loss

Week 11.  16 stone 4 lb. 4 lb gain

week 12 16 stone 4lb (no loss no gain)

really happy with this week worked hard working away and watched what i eat all week but eating out all week was tough especially on Tuesday when i turned 40 !

a few to many beers but hey ho !

tough night tonight as i am at Chinese buffet eat as much as you can like with friends & family

one week at home then its off to Vegas ..........

Great total progress there, well done and I bet you are really looking forward to Vegas now?

[Ant040689]

Starting weight - January 9th: 21st 5lbs
                          January 22nd: 20st 8lbs
                          January 27th: 20st 3lbs
                         February 3rd: 20st 1lbs
                         February 10th: 19st 13lbs
                         February 17th: 19st 9lbs
                         February 24th: 19st 7lbs
                               March 2nd: 19st 1 lbs
                               March 10th: 18st 13lbs
                               March 17th: 18st 9lbs
                               March 24th: 18st 9lbs
                               March 31st: 18st 4lbs
                               April 7th: 17st 12lbs

Weekly loss of 6lbs. 49lbs loss total (three and a half stones).

Getting into the chubby territory now which is nice, hopefully it is a short trip here until I am in the slim section soon enough! Seeing 17st as a number on the weighing scale was a shock and feels good to be smashing away at the fat.

Being bowled over by this no oils, no nuts, vegan diet, and the health benefits of it, along with allowing myself to eat as much as i want within it. Just seems natural and there is no stress at all, or any feelings of hunger or of lack. I no longer crave meat or dairy, and feel better of it, as that would often repeat on me too much anyway in burping or indigestion, whereas what i am eating now feels really light on the system and it brings a welcome change.

Need to kick on and maintain, hopefully at an average of around 4 lbs loss a week, so I could look to be at around 15 stone by the start of July which is when pre season training for a lot of semi pro clubs, starts.

Oddly, I am not sure what my ideal weight is. It could, in theory lie anywhere between 16st-14st. What I will do is probably start studying my body fat percentage when i start to really get into shape to see where improvements are needed. That and obviously testing myself physically with routines and improving like that. If I can meet the physical demands that i want to be doing, then i am already at my right weight I guess, but I think if i would have gone that far in losing so much weight to get there, I think I am going to work hard on marginal gains and really try and eek out better physical performance anywhere i can, so i will be pushing myself further if i have to, despite being 'close enough'.

As it stands, at my current weight, my cardio is pathetic, but I am building slowly, and know i often have to stop because my leg muscles are struggling with the weight on me and I think things will get a lot easier as that sheds off. I am currently doing an hour of running 3 times a week and weights sessions probably twice a week. I should up this and i might this week.

[vegaslover]

Starting weight - January 9th: 21st 5lbs
                          January 22nd: 20st 8lbs
                          January 27th: 20st 3lbs
                         February 3rd: 20st 1lbs
                         February 10th: 19st 13lbs
                         February 17th: 19st 9lbs
                         February 24th: 19st 7lbs
                               March 2nd: 19st 1 lbs
                               March 10th: 18st 13lbs
                               March 17th: 18st 9lbs
                               March 24th: 18st 9lbs
                               March 31st: 18st 4lbs
                               April 7th: 17st 12lbs

Weekly loss of 6lbs. 49lbs loss total (three and a half stones).

Getting into the chubby territory now which is nice, hopefully it is a short trip here until I am in the slim section soon enough! Seeing 17st as a number on the weighing scale was a shock and feels good to be smashing away at the fat.

Being bowled over by this no oils, no nuts, vegan diet, and the health benefits of it, along with allowing myself to eat as much as i want within it. Just seems natural and there is no stress at all, or any feelings of hunger or of lack. I no longer crave meat or dairy, and feel better of it, as that would often repeat on me too much anyway in burping or indigestion, whereas what i am eating now feels really light on the system and it brings a welcome change.

Need to kick on and maintain, hopefully at an average of around 4 lbs loss a week, so I could look to be at around 15 stone by the start of July which is when pre season training for a lot of semi pro clubs, starts.

Oddly, I am not sure what my ideal weight is. It could, in theory lie anywhere between 16st-14st. What I will do is probably start studying my body fat percentage when i start to really get into shape to see where improvements are needed. That and obviously testing myself physically with routines and improving like that. If I can meet the physical demands that i want to be doing, then i am already at my right weight I guess, but I think if i would have gone that far in losing so much weight to get there, I think I am going to work hard on marginal gains and really try and eek out better physical performance anywhere i can, so i will be pushing myself further if i have to, despite being 'close enough'.

As it stands, at my current weight, my cardio is pathetic, but I am building slowly, and know i often have to stop because my leg muscles are struggling with the weight on me and I think things will get a lot easier as that sheds off. I am currently doing an hour of running 3 times a week and weights sessions probably twice a week. I should up this and i might this week.

Great work Ant, absolutely bossing it

[Ant040689]

Cheers VegasLover.

Quick update again, to modify, slightly, what i wrote earlier; I am looking into Freeletics to up my physical output. I think I am at the stage where I can start to push myself physically, especially using my own body weight which is key to this, so will see by the end of the week if it has done me any good, or if indeed it was maintainable at all from the start. 

[arbboy]

Long time lurker of the thread and action needs to be taken now.  April 2009 i weighed 19 stone 12.  April 2014 i still weigh 19'12'' having had spells during the last  5 years of getting into it and getting as low as 18'5'' and getting up to the dreaded 21 stone mark on one occasion after my second 7 week vegas summer in 2012 which i promised myself i would never go over again but the vast majority of these 5 years i have been bouncing between 19 and 20 stone.  I am 40 in January 2015 and want to be under 16 stone (ideally 15 stone) on my 40th birthday.  I have said this about 25 times in the last 5 years and this time it's going to happen otherwise i am going to look pretty stupid on this forum.

Literally no one in the gambling/poker world knew me when i was a semi pro basketball player/gym rat (at 26 weighing 14 stone 10 and 6% body fat whilst benching 350lbs and looking like i was on roids) in the early 90's to 2001. I left the clean living 9-5 world of chartered accountancy after graduating from Loughborough University and joined bet365 as my first entrance into the dark world of the gambling industry for a living in late 2001. It's unsocial hours/junk food/unnatural sleep patterns/socialising with fellow unhealthy degen's etc/etc all as suitable excuses to not go to the gym and/or eat properly like normal humans do.  I don't need advice on training/diet etc etc i just need something to kick start me into doing this for real again and living like the gym rat i was 15 years ago to get back into shape.

13 years on through various stops around the world working as a sports trader for firms living a heavy drinking/eating party lifestyle through Malta, Antigua and Stoke and the last 6 years as a full time poker player/sports bettor sitting on my arse for the vast majority of the week watching sky sports  playing poker and punting on betfair.  It's amazing i have only put on 5 stone in weight in these 13 years tbh given the lifestyle i have led.  I still think its recoverable if i sort it out now before i am 40 so here i am.

I have to admit that i need this potential public embarrassment of failure if this doesn't work to drive me to success as i have tried doing it the private way but just maintain my weight rather than actually lose anything long term.  I seem fine at maintaining my weight but i need to shift 4-5 stone so i need an extreme 6 month period to do this and get out of my comfort zone of drinking/eating/boozing whenever i want.  I have been inspired by Ant's and Lee's success since xmas and would say i am in a similar spot weight/build wise as those two are and want similar results as they have had so far.

The plan is to reduce calories to around 1500 a day and for the first 2 months to cut out red meat/alcohol and dairy products to really kick start this process.  I have no reason to drink prior to the Groves Froch fight on the 31st May which i am attending with betfair.  So will use this as motivation to get there hopefully under 18 stone.  The longest i have gone without drinking in the past 15 years is a month so this should be a major challenge.

I have joined Virgin Active a few months ago and have been swimming casually 20/30 lengths twice a week since joining but this will be cranked up to 3 times a week with some gym sessions introduced with light weights and other cardio.

I will post my weight every Weds morning like the other success stories on here seem to have done. Wish me luck.

2nd April  19 stone 12
9th April 19 stone 8 (4lbs lost)

Good start to the 9 month plan.  Not sure if i should have lost more during the last week.  2 Swims during the week and a pretty tight food intake.  Managed to spend 16 hours at dtd on Sunday without having a beer.

[vegaslover]

Starting weight:        16st  4lb
9th   Jan 2014   :      15st  11lb
16th Jan 2014   :      15st   8lb
23th  Jan 2014  :      15st 7lb
30th Jan 2014   :      15st 7lb
 6th Feb 2014   :      15st 8lb
13th Feb 2014  :       15st 9lb
20th Feb 2014 :        15st 12lb
27th Feb 2014 :        16st   0lb
 6th  Mar 2014 :        16st   2lb
13th Mar 2014:         16st   1lb
20th Mar 2014:         16st   0lb
27th Mar 2014:         15st  11lb
 3rd  Apr 2014:          15st   9lb
10th Apr 2014:         15st   6lb

Total loss          :          12lb

[leethefish]

Starting weight 17 stone 10lb

Week 1 17s 5lb 5lb loss

Week 2 17st 3 lb 2lb loss

Week 3 17st 1lb  2lb loss

Week 4 16 st 10lb 5 lb loss

Week 5 16 st  11lb    1 lb gain

Week 6 16 st  9lb 2lb loss

Week 7 16 st  8lb 1 lb loss

week 8 16st 5lb 3lb loss

week 9 16 stone 3lb  2lb loss

week 10 .............16 stone      3 lb loss

Week 11.  16 stone 4 lb. 4 lb gain

week 12 16 stone 4lb (no loss no gain)

Week 13 16 stone         4 lb loss

So pre Vegas I am down one stone ten pounds 😀🇺🇸✈️

No idea how much I'll put on over the next week !!!