I know that this board represents a wide range ages... Your metabolism at 16 is not the same as at 26 or 36 or 56. So what do you do to keep in shape? What do you eat? How much do you think you are prepared for the 20 mile walk home?

Before Medic School I used to ski a lot and than kayak and hike... Now since I'm bound to the city I hit the gym and bike a lot. My diet is not a healthy one but I'm trying to make it right any chance I get by eating more vegetables and high protein food. Also I drink a lot of water.

Matt

I am 1.83 m. tall. After I quit smoking I went up to 110 kgs this winter ( I was wearing my own PFD full time <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />).

Three months ago I have changed my eating habit. Around here we eat a lot of bread (white- like french bread). I stopped eating bread first, then rice, then potatoes. I tried eating more vegetables than red meat. I am now 92 kgs. My goal is going back to 80 kgs.

I didn't do extra exercise till I got back to 98 kgs. When I became 98 kgs I began walking to work (5.5 kms - 11 kms round trip). After one week of walking I switched to bike riding.

So I pedal 11 kms everday. Not much but it is a good exercise.

I wake up at 05 AM everyday and take the dog out. Well it is a 13 week old Belgian Malinois and you cannot believe how much energy of yours it will consume in an hour!!! I go out again at 07PM for another two hours.

Vegetables cooked with olive-oil, fish, lots of water, less alcohol, yogurt and lots of fruits will make you feel better. Look around the Mediterranean coast and you will see people eating these.

Burak

Ratstr,

About a year after my wife dropped 40 pounds, and after much prodding from her, I completely changed my eating habits and followed her weight-loss plan. I lost almost 40 pounds, and have kept about 30 of that off. Like you, I've limited my bread, potatoes, and pasta and increased my protein intake. I still indulge in some junk food, but try to offset that with exercise, which is usually lifting weights, walking, and swimming. With barbecue season in full swing, I try to stay away from too much beer. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I practice Aikido twice a week, do a little swimming, try to hit the gym twice a week, etc. My diet isn't the best, but I've tried to include more salads and fresh foods lately. I've managed to drop 15 pounds since wintertime; another 10 to 15 pounds would put me right where I need to be! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Firstly I'm no Nutrirtionist, so I could be wrong.
I was under the impression bread, potatos, and pasta are in themselves not fattening to any great degree. They are mainly starch and carbohydrates, not fat and sugars. They should be part of a healthy diet.
I am impressed that some of you have actually completly changed your diet - it takes a lot of will power. At the end of the day, you are only going to lose weight my reducing your calorie intake, and then try to burn off more than you consume. If however by changing your diet, you are constantly denying yourself the foods you are used to and enjoy, I believe you are doomed to failure.
I enjoy a wide range of foods, but you will never persuade me to live off oily fish and vegetables, or to jog 10 miles everyday through polluted city streets. Nor will I be going on some trendy diet, that results in someone, somewhere growing fat on my hard earned cash.
Everyone's metabolism is different, I know how much junk I can eat and get away with, I don't need someone to tell me what I should be eating. A little bit of common-sense goes a long way.
Ranting aside....
The link below has some good advice, and his website I find fasinating.

http://www.fourmilab.to/hackdiet/www/hackdietf.html

If anyone ones interested I'm 6ft and medium build. My weight varies according to the seasons. I get fatter in winter. My weight ranges from around 168 pounds to 155. I'm happy with that

The "new" Atkins diet has folks eating more proteins and less carbohydrates. Works better than a low/no fat diet for the first six months, then progress flatlines and actually reverses.
Low fat diet, and regular (thirty minutes every other day, swimming is the best) exercise is still the best long-term solution, ASSUMING you have the willpower to change your eating and sedentary habits to begin with. My (personal and not professional) advice is, if you can't live without fat, at least eat smaller portions. Drink water before and during meals if you feel empty--increasing water intake not only "fills" the stomach but actually reduces the amount of energy the body pulls from the food. Consequently, one will see an intake in waste production from such circumstances <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I must add, however, in a survival situation, DO NOT EAT FOOD, if you don't have a ready, available source of water. Eating food with no water will pull water out of your body to digest the food...bad scene in a desert <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

bill,guttery:

I sincerely hope you mean an "INCREASE" in waste production.

Bountyhunter
<img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Sheesh...you are correct, sir: an INCREASE in waste production...not INTAKE. I have an explanation...I was salivating over an about to be delivered pizza at the time of that particular post <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Joblot,

Changing my eating habits includes portion control, which is caloric reduction. I haven't sworn off any foods at all, but will instead eat a "human-sized" portion. I'm actually eating more often than when I was overweight, and I don't really deny myself anything. I have NO willpower. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> I also feel much better, and have more energy. If I feel like having Doritos, I'll eat a smaller serving than I used to consume, which equated to the whole bag. And only one beer to wash it down, rather than a whole 6 pack. I'll stop now before this starts to sound like an infomercial for Weight Watchers. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I pretty much stick to fish and veggies and grains now, no red meat, chicken, etc. I do pull ups, sit ups, pushups three times per week, take a run three times a week and take a walk for 30 plus minutes during lunch everyday. On the weekends I try to do a 5 mile walk with my pack in the forest preserves.

My biggest issue is eating pizza. I just can't stay away from it.

I practice Tae Kwon Do several times a week at the local dojang. As far as diet, for my particular metabolism and preferences, I don't adhere to any of the fad diets like Atkins or South Beach. Rather, I am very disciplined about portion control. Example: When my wife cooks, we will often split a large chicken breast between us. At a lot of restaurants, they give each person two! We're always amazed at the gigantic potions that restaurants bring out. Even more amazing are the folks who can finish it all in such a short time. I can't even eat half as much and the half I can finish takes me twice as long. I usually just end up ordering an appetizer for my entree or just get a soup/salad or soup/half-sandwich combo. This may explain why I'm still the same weight I was when I graduated from high school.