Weight Loss

Weight Watchers Weight Loss Program: Time To Lose Some Weight Again

About 4 years ago I mentioned on this site that I was going to be joining Weight Watchers with my wife.

We both went through the program for many months, and in the end we had both lost quite a bit of weight. I ended up losing somewhere around 40-50 pounds by the time I was done.

While I was happy with the program, I didn’t keep on with the maintenance program in order to keep the weight loss going, and over the past 4 years I’ve slowly watched as the weight crept back on. One pound here, two pounds there. Before you know it I had gained all of the weight I had lost back.

Joining Weight Watchers Again After 4 Years

Weight Watchers: Small steps can mean big changes

At the end of May this year I decided that I had had enough. I had weighed myself and I was back up to my all-time high weight, 278. Granted, I’m 6’4″, so I wear that weight better than some, but I know I weighed much more than I should. Having that much weight on your frame tends to weigh you down, puts pressure on your knees and back and just leaves you tired at the end of the day. It was time for a change.

I’ve been through a couple of different weight loss programs in the past, but Weight Watchers just seemed to be the one that was easiest to work with, and that had enough support, resources and results to back it up, that I knew I would join them again.

On May 31st I joined Weight Watchers Online, the online-only version of the program.

While I attended Weight Watchers meetings in person the last time I went through the program, I just didn’t feel like that part of the program was necessary for me. I’m a self starter when it comes to things like this, and I feel like the online only version of the program should work just fine, especially since I’ve been through the program before. For those that need more moral support, guidance on changing eating and exercise habits or if you just enjoy the camaraderie of attending meetings, that is still a great option.

A Week And A Half In – Weight Loss So Far

So how has the program gone for me since I joined a week and a half ago? I started the program weighing in at 278, and as of today, 10 days later, I weighed in at 271.8 – a weight loss so far of 6.2 pounds. (Disclaimer: People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week).

While Weight Watchers says people can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week my results so far has been 4.34 lbs. per week. I seem to remember having a similar situation last time I did the program, where I lost 3-4 pounds the first few weeks, and then I promptly leveled off after that losing 1-2 pounds a week after that. We’ll see what my results moving forward are!

UPDATE: 4 weeks in and I’m now down 13.2 lbs. Going well!.

UPDATE: 8 weeks in and I’m now down 18 lbs. Still going well!

UPDATE: 12 weeks in and the weight loss now stands at 22 lbs.

What Has Changed Since I Attended Weight Watchers Last

The Weight Watchers program has changed since I last attended.

Tracking Your Points Is Easier

With the program, you’re constantly tracking your eating habits, with all foods being assigned a points value based on their nutritional value – the fat content, carbs, protein and so forth.

In the past I was able to track my points online in their online points tracking tool. That is still available and works well, but since I last joined the program has released a set of new apps for tracking. They now have a Weight Watchers tracking app for the major platforms, Android and iOS. In the past they only had an app for iOS.

The app also has been updated so that it’s easier than ever to track your points and weight. The app has a handy bar code scanner. You can just scan whatever food you’re about to eat, and it will automatically bring up that food’s point value and allow you to track it. While it doesn’t work 100% of the time, I’ve only had 1 or 2 foods not come up. Even those were easy enough to enter manually.

More Resources

While the site hasn’t changed a ton since I last joined, there do seem to be a lot more resources available on the site from healthy recipes and help forum, to online chat if you need someone to talk with about struggles you’re having.

Why Weight Watchers Works For Me

So why has Weight Watchers proven so effective over the years for others, and for me?

It helps with portion control: Weight Watchers has helped me to realize just how out of whack my portion sizes have gotten. When you’re eating more than you should, you’ll just naturally start gaining weight. With Weight Watchers I slowly start to realize just how much I need to cut back my portion sizes by. The crazy part, I leave feeling more satisfied, and less over-full.
Healthier eating decisions: I’m making better eating decisions, eating more leafy greens, fruits and so on. Those types of foods are zero points on the program, and as such it encourages you to eat them.
Becoming more active: When you’re changing your eating habits and seeing the weight come off, it only encourages you to be more active – to only encourage progress more!

Losing weight isn’t rocket science. It typically comes down to eating healthier, watching your portion sizes and becoming more active. While it isn’t exciting, it can be tough to stick with it unless you have the help of a good program like Weight Watchers. They’ve worked for me before, and I know they’ll work for me again this time.

Off to eat a healthy snack!

Are you trying to lose weight currently – and if so, how are you doing it? Tell us about your progress as well!

Join The Weight Watchers Program With Me!

Disclaimer: This site is an advertising partner with Weight Watchers. I will receive compensation if a new member signs up through one of the links above. Please know that this review does discuss my true feelings of the program and how it has worked for me.

Medifast Weight Loss Plans Review: A Great Way To Lose Weight Fast

By Peter Leave a Comment

I‘m a big guy at 6’4″, and because of my tall frame I tend to wear excess weight pretty well. While I would be considered overweight by most measures I don’t necessarily look too bad. Because of that a lot of people will look at me funny when I say I’m trying to lose weight, because they don’t think I really need to lose any weight.

Despite what others think, I really do want to lose the excess fat, over the past ten years I’ve struggled with my weight off and on. I’ve had periods where I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight, like in 2007 when I was down to around 225 lbs or so, down from around 260. I’ve also had periods where life got in the way and I overate, and my weight ballooned to an all time high of 271 in 2011.

Last year I reluctantly joined the Weight Watchers program with my wife, and we both ended up losing around 30 lbs on the program. I got down to about 241 pounds after 6 months or so in the program. At the end of the year we ended up stopping the program due to being out of town and having a bit of burnout, and in the meantime we both ended up gaining about 15 pounds of the weight we lost back.

A month or two ago I decided to give the weight loss another chance. This time my starting weight was 255.5, and I didn’t want to do Weight Watchers this time, I didn’t want to be the only guy in meetings with 20 women again, I wanted to try a program more focused towards guys.

A Simple New Plan With Medifast

So what plan did I decide to give a try? This time around I decided to give Medifast a try. Some family friends had gone on the program and had lost a considerable amount of weight in a short time period. Here’s a quick blurb from the folks at Medifast giving an overview of the program.

When you want to lose weight and get healthy, Medifast makes sense. Whether your doctor has recommended that you lose weight or you just want to look and feel better, Medifast can help you get results quickly and simply.

Medifast has been recommended by over 20,000 doctors since 1980 and is clinically proven to be safe and effective. Studies at major university teaching hospitals have proven Medifast Meals to be safe and effective. Studies published in major medical journals have proven meal replacements to be an effective method of weight loss and weight maintenance.

So Medifast has a good track record and has been recommended by doctors for over 30 years to lose weight and get healthy. Maybe not a bad program to try. When I checked out the company’s website, they also have two main programs to check out, one for women and one for men.

I decided to jump in on the Men’s program and try it out for a few weeks.

The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan

So how does Medifast work? There are a couple of different ways you can do it. You can sign up through one of their weight loss centers, and attend and get weighed in at their bricks and mortar location.

If you prefer, you can do it all online like I am. You just sign up, buy your Medifast meals online, and then you start eating the Medifast meals 5 times a day – every 2 to 3 hours. Then eat your own healthy “lean and green” meal once a day, usually either at night for dinner, or at lunch. Here’s how they explain the program, and the meals:

Medifast Meals are doctor-designed nutrition. Each has a similar nutritional footprint, which means you can choose among more than 70 items and be thoroughly nourished and satisfied. Our low-glycemic meals are low in calories and fat. After a few days on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan, your body will reach a mild fat-burning state, so you can lose quickly while preserving muscle tissue.

The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan for weight loss is simple. Each day, you eat six times, once every two to three hours. The plan puts your body in a mild fat-burning state so you lose weight quickly and safely without taking weight-loss drugs or missing out on nutrition. You choose five Medifast Meals (the “5”) and one self-prepared Lean & Green Meal (the “1”), consisting of measured portions of lean protein and non-starchy vegetables. You can make the Lean & Green Meal yourself, or order it in a restaurant. The plan is easy to follow, with no guesswork and no counting of carbohydrates, calories, or points. Medifast Meals are portable and are either ready to eat right out of the package or mix easily with water. It’s the perfect fast weight-loss plan for those with busy lifestyles.

So basically they have designed these easy Medifast meals that you’re supposed to eat which give you all the nutrition that you need every day. You eat the meals, but all the while you’re creating a deficit in calories so you’re losing weight. You also eat your own lean protein and green veggies meal, and that’s it. Super simple!

The only problem I’ve had so far with the program is with some of the food options. They have everything from shakes to bars to soups and brownies. Some of the menu choices aren’t half bad, but others are, quite frankly, awful. I’m about a month in now and I’ve tried most of the menu options, and I now know which ones I prefer. Until you find which ones you like, however, you may end up buying a few that you don’t like.

If you want, you can also work out while you’re on the program, although they suggest holding off on too much exercise for a week or so until your body gets used to your new level of calorie intake.

Weight Loss With Medifast: 1 Month Later

I’ve been doing the 5 & 1 Medifast weight loss plan for just over a month now, and in that time I’ve lost quite a bit of weight, at a faster rate than I did on the Weight Watchers program.

Starting weight: 255.5 pounds
Current weight: 241.5 pounds
Weight lost: 14 pounds

I’ve lost just over 14 pounds in about 5 weeks, about 3 pounds a week or so. All that and the change in my fitness has been minimal. I may have been walking or playing with my son a bit more, but not much more. The main change has been the diet.

I plan on adding in more fitness back into my schedule, working out in the mornings 5-6 days a week. I’m sure doing that will only increase the amount I’m able to lose – although at some point I expect somewhat of a plateau. We’ll see.

Medifast: A Good Way To Lose Weight Fast

So far I’ve been pretty happy with the Medifast program. It’s dead simple to do, you just eat 5 of their pre-packaged food choices every day, and one meal of your own. That’s it. No points to keep track of, and no weekly meetings (which could be a downside I suppose if you get something out of them).

The only downsides I’ve run into include the fact that some of the food choices just don’t taste very good (so you’ll need to try them out to see which ones you like), and the fact that it can be pretty expensive. I’ve found that it has cost around $150 or so every two weeks (You only pay for the food). Granted, I’ve cut my grocery and eating out spending substantially by doing the program, so in the end I think we’re actually spending less. But for those who are good about keeping food spending low, doing the program may mean an increase in your food budget.

Have you tried Medifast in the past? What were your thoughts about the program?

Get Free Shipping And Medifast Meals On Qualifying Orders Through This Link!

I Started My P90X Journey Last Night. Do Your Best, Forget The Rest!

By Peter Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I talked about how I was considering jumping in full bore and trying P90X. I had heard it was tough, but when you think about it – so many things in life worth having aren’t easy to achieve.

After considering all the pros and cons and hearing from several P90X graduates (and P90X evangelists!) I decided to give it a try.

I got the class materials a couple of weeks ago and delved into them. The class takes a whole life approach to losing weight, eating healthy, and exercising to become fit. They give you a full nutrition and exercise program when you sign up, not just a workout program.

Nutrition Is Important

One thing that becomes apparent when you watch the introduction video is that the exercise in the course is not going to help you to be fit by itself. In fact they stress that the diet and nutrition portion is also an integral part of the plan.

Quite honestly I think the nutrition portion is the part that I’m probably going to have more trouble with. No, not because I’ll find the exercise easy – because I won’t, but because this is usually where my fitness plans break down – on the eating side. My love of donuts and sweets always seem to do me in.

So I’m looking at the nutrition plans and hoping to carve out some sort of routine so that I can do this thing the right way. All I do know is that I’ll be going to the grocery store later this week to get some better foods than what we have now. Lots more protein rich meats like chicken and turkey, more veggies and fruits.

Last Night’s Workouts – Night Number 1

So yesterday was my first day doing the P90X program. I followed the nutrition portion of the program pretty well, eating healthy foods all day. I had a salad for lunch, healthy snacks in between and then grilled chicken, broccoli and rice for dinner. I plan on trying to do the workouts in the morning once I adjust to it, but this week I’ll probably be doing the workouts at night.

Last night I did the first workout, the chest and back workout, and then the ab ripper workout. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.

I struggled my way through the chest and back workout first. There are lots of pushups and pull-ups in this routine. If you want you can modify the pull-ups a bit to use a chair if you’re not confident in your pull ups – or use bands to simulate pull ups. I used a chair part of the time as my pull ups have never been very strong. Something to work on. I think I was still able to get in a pretty good workout. The pushups near the end I had to modify a bit and do from my knees – as I started getting pretty tired. Just goes to show how out of shape I am!

I was able to complete the hour long routine though, despite having to keep my number of reps significantly lower than the folks on the video. As they say in the video, however, doing less reps when you start out isn’t a problem, just “do your best and forget the rest“.

On several days of the week you’re supposed to also do the ab ripper workout after your initial workout. So that’s what I started to do. Let’s just say that I made it through about 3-4 of the exercises in the ab ripper workout before i was complete toast. I didn’t complete it. I was so sore from the first workout that I was just spent.

I have a feeling it will get better over time as my body adjusts to working out again, but let’s just say it was rough that first night. The question is – did I miss something in the manual? Are you supposed to split the two workouts out – one in the morning, one at night?

Sticking To It

So tonight I’ll be moving on to workout two – Plyometrics. I hear this one is also good but will leave you exhausted. I can’t wait – my tired sore body and all.

People Used To Be Willing To Pay Good Money To Gain Weight… Seriously.

By Peter 1 Comment

Living in the culture that we do today where everyone is so concerned about appearance, about being skinny, and where billions of dollars are made by companies helping people to lose weight every year, these ads that I saw today from some vintage magazines seem very foreign.

Vintage Weight Gain Ads

The ads, which came from Vintage magazines from decades ago feature a variety of ads for different weight gain products. Some of the products featured, along with their hilarious taglines:

Wate-On: Don’t let them call you skinny!
Numal: Skinny girls are not glamour girls!
Kelp-A-Malt: I wonder how she did it… she was skinnier than I am!
Wate-On (again): If you want to be popular… you can’t afford to be skinny!
Ironized Yeast: A skinny man hasn’t a chance. I wish I could gain flesh
Unknown product: Gain Weight! Stop being skinny and tired!

Here’s a look at a few of the ads, click the images in the gallery below to view full size.

Vintage Weight Gain Ad

Granted, the ads come from a different era in the 50s and 60s when a “curvy figure” was en vogue and obesity wasn’t the epidemic it is today, but seeing these ads made me realize just how much things have changed. There is no way we would see these ads today.

To be quite honest, however, it’s not like the women in the photos post “weight gain” are overweight by any means, just that they’re not stick thin. In some respects I think that’s a good thing.

What are your thoughts about these vintage weight gain ads?

Ads sourced from retronaut.co. Head over for more weight gain ads on their post: Vintage Weight Gain Ads

15 Minute Fat Loss Workout

By Kevin Leave a Comment

If you’re in a time crunch and want a simple but highly effective metabolism boosting fat loss workout that only takes 15 minutes to complete then this is right up your alley.

Give it a go and let me know how it works for you:

High Performance Lower Body THRASHER Workout

By Kevin Leave a Comment

If you’re anything like me (a glutton for punishment) and love a good challenge then you’ll LOVE this workout. Or you’ll hate me altogether 🙂

WARNING: This isn’t easy and will push you to your limits physically and mentally.

If you’re still reading this then I haven’t done a good enough job of putting you off yet have I?

Ok, if you’re determined to go through with it then here ya go:

High Performance Lower Body THRASHER Workout

Good Luck and let me know how it goes

I’ve Now Lost 10% Of My Starting Weight Using Weight Watchers

By Peter Leave a Comment

About 4 months ago I mentioned on this site that I was going to be joining Weight Watchers with my wife. At the time I really didn’t want to do it as I had a preconceived notion that the Weight Watchers program was mainly helpful for women – a program where women get together at meetings every week and talk about their feelings, and why they struggled to lose weight.

I know that notion wasn’t really a true one, but I think a lot of guys have that idea in their head. Even Weight Watchers corporate has admitted as much in their new set of commercials in which they have several men who have been through the program talk about how they’ve been made fun of for joining what has traditionally been a female focused program, but how they don’t care cause they’re looking better now.

We joined the program at the end of January, and we’ve been attending weekly meetings for about 16 weeks now. In that time I’ve lost an average of 1.7 pounds per week, coming out to a total weight loss so far of 27.2 lbs, see my weight loss graph in the sidebar. (Disclaimer: People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week). At the meetings every week they recognize members who have reached goals that they’ve set. One of the goals you start the program with is losing 5%, then 10% of your starting weight. Since I reached that goal last night, as well as completing 16 weeks of meetings, I got recognized last night with my 10% weight loss keychain and 16 week commitment charm.

Now that I’ve reached that goal I’m setting another goal of another 5% of my starting weight loss – or another 13.5 lbs. My ultimate goal is to weigh in at 200lbs. I know I can do it, but we’ll see how long it takes. If I continue losing at the current rate, it’ll take about 6-7 more months. I think I can handle that. It took years to build it up, to lose it in less than a year is a good thing.

How Did I Lose Weight (So Far)?

So how have I lose the 27.2 lbs that I’ve lost so far?

Portion control: I’ve cut back my portion sizes to more manageable healthier sized meals. I’ve become more aware of what a good portion size is, and let me tell you, it’s a lot smaller than you think. We’ve been conditioned by the food industry and restaurants to think a healthy meal size is mega – when in reality you could probably share an average meal with 2-3 people.
Healthier eating: While I still struggle with this one to a degree ( I like my sweets!), I’m more apt to eat an apple or banana, or eat a salad than I was before. I’m making better eating decisions.
Being more active: I’ve been more active over the past few months, especially using my Xbox Kinect and the fitness video games that I’ve bought.
More portion control: Ok, I’m mentioning this one twice because this has been the biggest piece of the puzzle for me. Before I would sit down and eat the whole bag of chips. Now I’ll measure out a healthy portion size and eat that instead. I’m still finding that I’m satisfied, but I’m eating a lot less, and actually losing.

Ok, so losing weight truly isn’t rocket science. It really comes down to eating healthier (smaller portions, healthier foods), and getting some activity worked into your daily plan. That’s it. The progress isn’t always super fast, but if you do those things you will lose weight.

I for one have become a Weight Watchers convert having seen how it can work in my own life. It’s not just for the ladies, guys!

So now it’s onwards and upwards to my next goal – 15% of my body weight loss!

Are you trying to lose weight currently – and if so, how are you doing it? Tell us about your progress as well!

Read my review of the Weight Watchers program

Weight Loss Continues On A Steady Pace: What I’ve Learned So Far

By Peter 3 Comments

A few weeks ago I mentioned how I had decided to start eating healthier again, working out on a regular basis and using some supplements in order to help build muscle while dropping fat. At the time I was doing it mainly because my wife encouraged me to do it – to be her accountability partner and keep her motivated as well. Since we started, however, I’ve become pretty invested in the whole process, and have jumped in with both feed.

We ended up joining Weight Watchers at the end of January, and we’ve been attending meetings and doing the program ever since. I’ve lost almost 25 lbs now, and feeling a lot healthier. We’ve both learned quite a few things through the program, some of which I thought I’d share here.

Things I’ve Learned While Losing Weight

Exercise is important, but so is healthy eating: I’ve always understood how important exercise was to a healthy lifestyle, but pooh-poohed healthy eating to a degree. Now that I’m actually eating healthier and seeing even better results, I’m convinced how important both exercise and healthy eating are.
Portion control can be a big problem: One of my biggest problems before that caused me to gain weight was no sense of portion control. I’ve learned very quickly how to limit my portions and food intake without feeling deprived.
Moderation is key: I’ve learned that you don’t have to deprive yourself, and you can still lose weight. On the whole I’ve been eating healthier, but sometimes I’ll treat myself – and not feel guilty about it. It only becomes a problem when you go overboard.
Finding exercise you enjoy is important: I’ve learned that you won’t be able to stick to an exercise regimen unless you’re doing exercise you enjoy. For me that means playing Your Shape Fitness for Xbox Kinect, riding my mountain bike and running.
Staying consistent despite setbacks is important: You’re not going to have a good week every week no matter what you think. The important thing is to stay consistent over the long haul. That’s how you put weight on, and that’s how you take it off. Slow but sure.
Tracking what you eat can be an eye opening exercise: One thing I’ve learned is that I eat a whole lot more on a daily basis as far as calories, fat and so forth than I realize. By tracking I was able to keep this in check – and really appreciate how I got where I was.

So there are a few things that I’ve learned. What are some things you’ve learned while either losing weight or getting fit? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

How To Burn Fat While Keeping the Muscle

By Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

For many people it’s difficult putting down the fork. The problems with obesity in America are at near epidemic levels and the healthcare industry is having a hard time educating and motivating the general public on the most effective way to combat this issue. It seems that more people too often take drastic measures to lose weight and often end up doing damage to their body. Often times the damage done isn’t apparent until later on in life. Crash diets can be really bad for the body and it’s important to know how to diet and lose weight while not losing muscle mass.

Muscle mass doesn’t just mean the tissue on your arms and legs. A lot of people don’t realize that the heart is a muscle as well and losing too much muscle mass and affect the strength of your heart and spell long-term effects on your heart and your health. There are many tips and exercises that will help you lose weight while keeping on the muscle lbs.

Stay Hydrated

Around seventy percent of the body is made up of water and it’s an essential component to living. People often see liquid deprivation as a positive in losing weight. This is a big mistake and common misconception. When you get dehydrated, you’ll not only be shrinking fat but muscle as well. Keeping hydrated will allow essential nutrients to your body while shuttling waste material out. It’s also the mechanism that allows the brain to differentiate between your body’s need for food and its need for water. It also ensures that when you eat, it’s because you’re hungry and not because you’re thirsty.

High Protein Diets

Many studies have concluded that when a person goes on a high soy protein diet that it increases the body’s ability to burn fat while maintaining muscle. The essential part of this diet was the low fat intake. Protein is what allows the body’s ability to build muscle but some high protein foods are also high in fat. Soy is not one of these. That’s why increasing your intake will allow you to reduce your waistline in short order and not sacrifice your body’s health.

Remember, just because you’re losing weight doesn’t mean that it’s a good thing. You may be throwing away important tissue that’s essential to your health. These are two good tips to getting into shape the right way. Not every method of weight loss mean a positive and sometimes, even if the number on the scale is going down, you’re actually doing more harm to your body than if you were to just stay heavier.

The Dumbest And Weirdest Diets

By Guest Contributor 1 Comment

The weight loss industry is one of the largest in the world. It caters to people, mainly in the West, who are desperate and willing to do almost anything to shed a couple of pounds. It’s the same in every language, whether the word is salud, gesundheit, or health, everyone’s after the same results: losing weight.

America leads the world in obesity rates, which has much to do with our increasingly sedentary lifestyle and propensity to drive everywhere. This has created a niche market and every few months a new fad diet pops up and promises the world. It’s usually a parrot of “total results with little or no effort”. For some reason people will believe anything and, as P.T. Barnum said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” It’s so very important to recognize predatory diets that play to our collective ego.

Fad or craze diets can appear like a great idea and some may even deliver real results at first but it’s also important to recognize how harmful some of them are. At any given time there’s something on the market touting it’s revolutionary technique that you’d be crazy not to try. For example,

The HCG Diet: This is a hormone that your body produces when a woman is pregnant. People are taking this hormone for 26 days while eating only 500 to 700 calories a day. You’re also not allowed to exercise whatsoever. This is one of the most extreme diets out there right now and, though you will loose weight, you’re likely to do some serious damage to your body. It should be enough of a red flag when the diet tells you to take hormone injections and you’re encouraged to not exercise. The body isn’t meant to sustain that level of change without having side affects.

There are other diets out there that are just as, if not more, harmful to the body but this hasn’t slowed down their popularity.

The Cleansing Diet and the Paleo Diet are another two perfect examples of a bad idea put into action. Everyone remembers the Atkins craze that swept up the nation several years back. It was popular for a while and then people learned that it was terrible for your body.

Back in 2009 CNN reported on a history of fad diets and some of the are bizarre to say the least. Some of the examples include the parasite diet that was hugely popular in the early 20th century. The nicotine diet was another plan that was devised by cigarette companies in order to sell more product There’s no limit to what people will believe and these are just a couple examples.

The past is strewn with examples just like the ones above. People are tricked, or convince themselves, that somehow there’s a new approach to an old idea. Nothing can supplant the efficacy of good diet and exercise and there’s nothing that’s better and more natural for your body than eating healthy and partaking in physical activity.