Losing Weight with Starscream

[Starscream]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

Last fall looked in the mirror and got motivated.

Since September have been doing push-ups. Started with 5 I think. Have worked my way up to 250 a day. 150 in the morning (100 then 50) and 100 at night.

It helped the way I felt and increased my suit size from 44L to 46L. Added some 12 pound hand weight sets to the mix.

Unfortunately, early April stood on the scale and saw 260 - nice muscular shoulders and this giant gut. Decided to start eating sensibly and doing some cardio.

Have a 25 year old Schwinn Airdyne in the basement. Started riding it again in April. Started at 10 minutes, am up to 30 minutes @4. For anyone who knows these things, its pretty "aerobic". 15 years ago used to ride it at 5-6, but such is life, or more specifically the desire to remain alive.

Lost 10 pretty quick. Then it started getting harder. Got to 230 a week or 2 ago and then started bouncing up and down. This was riding the bike every other/3 days. So, started riding 5 days a week and moving from 1500 to around 1200 calories a day - weekdays, I eat what I want when we are at the shack which means +4 lbs every weeekend that takes a few days back to get off.

The reduced calories and upping the cardio to 30 minutes seems to have made a difference. Hit 226 this morning. Exercise alone has never done it for me... you add muscle mass and tend to eat more absent paying attention to your calorie intake.

When I started my goal was 225. Figure I hit it tomorrow so adjusting to 215 as the new goal.

Keep it up, brother! This is what I like to hear in this thread. Success stories that motivate a lot of us in here.

[Chainsaw13]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

On Monday, despite breaking the 270 mark for the first time in God knows how many years, the ice cream truck caught my eye.
I broke down and bought a vanilla cone from him.
The real sad part is I tailed him in my car for about 3 miles before he stopped and I could get one.
After I licked my fingers clean I was racked with guilt.
What kind of maniac stalks an ice cream truck?

Don't fret too much Dom, we all give in at times. While in Argentina the last few weeks, I had pizza, ice cream and these caramel filled cookies they make down there. It's hard to go cold turkey on everything, so little indulgences on occassion aren't a bad thing. They can actually help you keep on the right track. The key is to only have them rarely.

[Chainsaw13]

Unofficially 231.4 this morning. Now i'm thinking of what i need to change in my routine to get rid of the "giggly parts".

[shilala]

203.6 this morning.
I've been working my ass off and not eating much at all.
I was feeling great up till yesterday and my muscles all stuck. We had chicken the night before, which I thought was low in potassium. Turns out it's very high, so that's what has me so f'd up.
I was only useful in spurts yesterday and I shut down work today in order to rest and get right. Actually I think Lisa and Kenny (my buddy who's working with me) colluded to get me to not work today. They know I'm too stubborn to stop, even if it's killing me.

I'm in! At the age of 45 I found myself realizing I need an overhaul! I use an app on my DROID to make myself
accountable and it works great! 3 weeks in I even keep track of my water. I drink more water and less soda, I don't do chips, I eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies and get my protein mostly from
Bocca burgers or Morning Star products that are non meat. I weigh in at my docs next week and
I'll post my progress. Hang in there, don't give up and allow yourself to make mistakes or have a day off. When it comes to exercise I have a treadmill and my wife and I are getting back into
Geocaching. www.geocaching.com for all the details. It's a great activity that is sure to keep you
Motivated! Your not alone. I'm in this for the long haul.

[mfarre03]

Good job men, you guys have come a long way!! I started at 412 and now I'm at 366, still need to lose a ton more but a good start!

[Chainsaw13]

Good job Scott, Rich and Mike.

Rich, how are the Boca and Morningstar products?

[shilala]

My sister-in-law is vegan and makes home-made veggie burgers and mushroom burgers. The mushroom burgers she makes are awesome. I won't eat them though, just on principle alone.
They always get cooked when there's real burgers, dogs and brats. So I make a burger-brat-dog or a burger dog. I can never eat more than half of my mosnster sammich, but I dig the normalcy.

[Chainsaw13]

Scott, see if she'll share the mushroom burger recipe. I"m not looking to go vegan/vegetarian, but i'm looking to incorporate more dishes into my diet.

[shilala]

I'll ask Lisa if she already got it from Kathy. I bet she did, cause she loves them.
Edit:
The second kind of burgers are just Boca burgers. Everyone likes them except me. They gross me out, I can't take the consistancy.
Anyways, I texted Lisa and she has the mushroom burger recipe. I'll post it asap.

[Chainsaw13]

One reward I've been thinking about for when i reach my goal is to go sky diving. I've always wanted to go and will look to do the accelerated free fall class if I can. I know for a tandem jump, you need to be under 230.

[shilala]

That's an awesome reward, Bob. I wanted to go for years and never got around to it. Now I'm not sure I could take it, I'd likely get hurt.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13

Good job Scott, Rich and Mike.

Rich, how are the Boca and Morningstar products?

For those of you that haven't tried them Boca burgers and Morning Star products
are great. I had a basil pizza burger ( only 120 calories and 6 grams of fat ) tonight on multigrain bread. The burger tasted like a pizza burger would and was very satisfying. A Romaine lettuce salad with cucumber accompanied my burger and I washed it down with a cold bottle of water. The end result was a full and happy tummy.

[goalie204]

Scott, i hope you aren't starving yourself! Your body needs to fuel to run, and also to burn that fat. Although since you only poop once a year i guess i can understand LOL jk brother.

For me, another new low today, i guess every lower one from now on will be lol

[shilala]

Originally Posted by goalie204

Scott, i hope you aren't starving yourself! Your body needs to fuel to run, and also to burn that fat. Although since you only poop once a year i guess i can understand LOL jk brother.

For me, another new low today, i guess every lower one from now on will be lol

I absolutely have to eat, Myles. Fasting just makes my neural condition worse. I found a diet page that's basically what I have to do. It's right here.
I don't have HKPP or Paramyatonia Congenita like that diet is targeted to, I have Potassium Aggravated Myotonia (it has lots more names, as well). It's right in the same ballpark, it's from a defect in the same gene. My symptoms are just a bit different and accompanied by a lot more pain. The trade-off is that I get to live a long, happy life, even if it's full of doctors and pills.

[shilala]

I realized yesterday that I lost 20 pounds from March 8th (our honeymoon) to June 8th. So that's 3 months. All I did is focused on my water, avoid high potassium cause I have to, and made my meals smaller. I can even eat between meals if I get hungry. Portions are the key, and praying away the compulsion to overeat is another big part.

[shilala]

One last thing...
Here's the Mushroom Burger Recipe.

Mushroom Veggie Burger Recipe
Photo © John Mitzewich
This mushroom burger recipe is adapted from "Lisa's Mushroom Burger" from weheartfood.com, and to call it a veggie burger doesn't do it justice. Veggie burger recipes tend to be bland and boring, but this meaty mushroom burger is anything but.

Makes 4 Large or 6 Smaller Mushroom Veggie Burgers

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb mushrooms, roughly chopped (combination of crimini, shiitake, and Portobello)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 cloves minced garlic
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Preparation:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in large saucepan. Saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid boils off, and the mushrooms begin to saute.

In large bowl, add mushroom mixture to oats, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well. Allow to sit for 15 minutes to develop the flavors. Shape into patties. Heat 2 tbsp oil in large non-stick skillet, over medium heat. Fry patties, cooking about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Serve with your favorite burger toppings.

[Chainsaw13]

Thanks for the recipe Scott. I know what I'm making this weekend. Do you know if they hold up well on the grill? Also congrats on the weightloss. I'm in the same boat as you. I've lost 35lbs in 3 months since I was first diagnosed.

[goalie204]

yum, mushrooms!

[shilala]

They hold up great on the grill, Bob. That's where they always cook them. They're delicious, too. I can't eat them because they're slap full of potassium, plus I'd rather have real food, but if that was all there was for dinner I'd be perfectly happy.