Brag

[_Tarski]

Hi mortals!
I have to brag just once. I have lost 40 lbs of fat and put on a significant amount of lean muscle. I look different--no belly. Yay!

[_Imwashingmypirate]

Congratulations.

[_Dr. Shades]

Congratulations! I need to lose 40 lbs. of belly fat, myself.

How did you do it?

[_Jersey Girl]

Tarski,

This is just one of many reasons why I loathe and despise you. How DARE you lose 40 lbs and go all hard body!

Well done, sir! You should be very proud of your transformation!

[_cinepro]

Congratulations!

For those facing a similar challenge, I recommend this recent article:

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin. It offers a good explanation on why some people who exercise (sometimes a lot) still don't lose as much weight as they'd like (or expect).

As far as exercise goes, I haven't found anything better than HIIT training. Basically, you do what you usually do, but you alternate brief periods of all-out sprints with recovery periods. The whole workout usually doesn't last more than 20 or 30 minutes (including warm up and cool down).

The science behind it is really interesting, and it can be adapted to dozens of different exercises (I just do it while running and cycling). Obviously, if you aren't in decent shape, it's not how you want to start! But if you feel like you're at an exercise plateau where you just aren't making progress, it's definitely worth trying out. And it's free.

I know if I were facing a trip to the beach and only had a few weeks to get in shape, I'd be doing a couple HIIT training sessions a week. (And, as per the Time article, really watching what I eat!)

[_Jersey Girl]

cinepro,

I'm so envious of your HIIT work outs. I busted up my foot two years ago and I'm so limited to what I can do in the form of exercise, but I find ways! Be very glad for your physical abilities! I do envy you.

Jersey Girl

[_cinepro]

cinepro,

I'm so envious of your HIIT work outs. I busted up my foot two years ago and I'm so limited to what I can do in the form of exercise, but I find ways! Be very glad for your physical abilities! I do envy you.

Jersey Girl

Sorry to hear about your foot.

At best, HIIT makes you feel like you're going to throw up. At worst, you feel like you're going to die. So you're totally missing out.

And for any of you socal fitness nuts, the Scouts in our stake sponsor a "sprint" Triathlon every September (400yd swim/5m mountain bike/3m run). Come join us if you dare!

[_JohnStuartMill]

If you want to lose weight, consume fewer calories (while maintaining a healthy diet -- you don't want your body to go into starvation mode) and exercise more. Any other advice is BS.

[_cinepro]

Any other advice is b***s***.

Yeah, but some "diets" are more BS than others!

I just recently heard about the "hCG Diet", which I can not believe is real. hCG is a hormone produced by women during pregnancy.

- 125 iu of hCG is administered daily via injection

- Until 3rd injection the patient eats excessively. (i.e. eat at Cheesecake Factory 3x a day for the first three days)

- Following the third injection, diet is limited to 500 calories a day as injections continue!

I can't believe people are really doing this. Apparently, you either have to find a doctor to give you the hCG shots, or order it from overseas.

[_JohnStuartMill]

It's amazing how much completely made-up BS people will believe.