Dont know how many of you guys work out or diet to be and look healthy.

I just recently began working out and eating well but now comes the biggest test for me,quitting sugar, ive done many things in my life which could have addictive qualities but the only real thing that i have been addicted to is sugar and now i have to quit it. This seems like the best opportunity ive ever had to slim down and i guess not look like the typical look of a game developer aka fat or unhealthy looking.

So who else fights this image and what do you do cause im looking for suggestions.

So far my daily regiment is 4 miles of biking two and from work,1 and a half hours of gym,mostly cardio and healthy eating.

So far when i arrived in Holland i was 328 and i am currently down 317 in a months time with this routine butthankfully being 6'4 it doesnt look as bad as it would if i was shorter.


one thing i notice living here is how bad for your health living in the states can be.

Living in the states is only as bad for your health as you make it. I live in the states, in a major city, and I'm just as able to bicycle to work. There are probably more gyms in my city (LA) and more closer to my house, just because of the sheer size of it. I have access to any type of food I want, and can eat as healthily as I desire.

Sure if you were to say the average american lifestyle is bad for you, I can agree to that. But it's not like it's impossible to eat healthily and exercise here. It comes down to most Americans being lazy. I'm 6'3" 185, and I don't really fit into the typical game physique just because I don't sit on my butt all day and drive a car to and from work, and I eat healthily.

Poop come now, you had the availability and option to live near your work. Others are not so fortunate.

Lazy is a catch all phrase when one doesnt want to be challenged with listening to others stories. Oh Im sure there are people who just eat. But there are others who also who cannot find the time or energy to put into healthness or education on how to be.

Anyhow JO420, sounds like you are on the right track. There are natural sugar alternatives you can investigate. Like honey or fruit juices. But it sounds like at this point you need to cut your carbohydrates down?

(Also if your cat is you smoking, that would help you out also)

Well the problem i had back home was distance, i had to wake up at 5am to make it to my job by 8am,there was no bus which went to my job so walking to the bus or to work were both not an option. 60 mile drive daily Houston pretty much had no public transpotation system reliable to the point which i could use it and conserve that energy

here living a pedestrian life is quite possible and more convinient.

time and energy have alot to do with it but also in terms of portions and how food is prepared there are dramtic differences in europe and the states and availability is also much different.

and yes poop eating healthy in the states is not impossible but its way easier to do it here, for example every single tuesday in the part of town i live in the whole area is shut off and vendors sell all types of things like fresh fruits,veggies,fish,meats cheeses. It may be me but it feels easier to live a healthier life here,there junk food and fast food but no in numbers like in the states.


and the gyms here rock as well, for 31 euros a month i get access to the gym everyday,personal trainers who help without extra charges, a nutrionist,weights,cardio,boxing training area complete with a full ring,use of the boxing equipment,free boxing and areobic classes,saunas and even tanning beds.


oh yeah all the hot women here serves as motivation as well,i wonder when they deported all the fat chicks because ive seen 1 really out of shape woman but it was in amsterdam so she could have been american



EDIT:Oh yeah in terms of distance the gym i go to now is 10 minutes from work walking and 15 from the train station

Be warned sugar free sweet stuff causes impotense!
Atleast thats what some research claimed.

American's aren't lazy people, we work too damn hard. That's the problem. European companies, on average, give their employees 3-4x more vacation time than American companies do. While we're stuck in our chairs for 12+ hours a day, 5+ days a week, euro employees have enough spare time to have fun and work out. Hell, I'd forgo some cash for more vacation time [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

J0420, you don't need to cut out sugar. In fact, it would be damn hard for you to do so. Pretty much every product has some amount of sugar in it. Even fruits and vegetables have high levels of natural sugars in them. It wouldn't be good to deny yourself a tastey bit of life, just because of 'image'. It's about moderation. Don't go eat a cup of sugar in one sitting. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Try quitting wheat, gluton, barley, beef and pork. I also cut back on sugar (no soda) because it is pretty bad for you. I found out about 4 months ago I have alergies to all of the above. I feel MUCH better after cutting all that out of my diet. Also a bunch of wierd undiagnosed illnesses that would come and go for no reason went away and have stayed away. I'm not so alergic to most of it that I can't sit down and have meal full of whatever. But I have to keep in mind that having some of it will make for an almost sleepless night while my body tries to digest it. I lost about 20lbs in those 4 months and my Dr is still after me to put on a few lbs of muscle. Which is hard to do when I am not getting a lot of protien...

It was pretty easy for me to cut it all out completely at first since I felt better right away. I think anyone could benifit from cutting fast food out of thier life. When I switched over to this diet my wife was kind of forced to not eat fast food by proxy. The results where really good for her, she feels better and has more energy.

I like sugar that comes from sugar cane and beets and other fruits and vegetables. I don't like high fructose "sugar" that's genetically engineered with enzymes from corn, or any other processed foods, or substitutes. You're body needs real sugar in moderation. US soft drinks don't include natural sugar anymore. Mexican soda does, and man does it taste so much better.

Things I'd rather avoid:
artificial colors
artificial flavors
high fructose corn syrup
aspartame
benzoates
acesulfame potassium
phosphoric acid
brominated vegetable oil
hydrogenated oil
partially hydrogenated oil
any oil that isn't olive or coconut
any thing else that reads like a prescription drug
fast foods

My suggestion is read labels. If you don't know what it is, or what it does. Don't eat it. Shop organics.

[ QUOTE ]
J0420, you don't need to cut out sugar.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, you DO need to cut out sugar If you want to lose weight, or at least seriously cut down or stick to the good sugars. Most of us intake a) far too much and b) much more than we realise ). Javier, I can wholeheartedly recommend http://www.southbeachdiet.com/index3.asp and no, it's nothing to do with nonsense fad diets like Atkins. Alongside my workouts, I've gone from 177 to 173 pounds in a week. When you understand the science behind it, it totally makes sense and it totally works. I was addicted to sugar without even realising it and never thought there was much sugar in my diet. I work out like a man possessed and was getting results, but still had an overall higher body fat percentage than I wanted. Read this book If you're having trouble losing weight. Agreed with Elysium. Avoid anything processed really. White flours, anything that's partially hydrogenated. Any of that crap. Organic is the way.

Oxy, I live 30 miles away from where I work and am as fit as a fiddle. What's commute got to do with anything?! Poop could just as easily drive to work like most everyone else around him does but he chooses not to. That's just another lame excuse you can use as to why you're out of shape.

Well if the diet my nutrionist gives me doesnt work ill try that one it basiclly is


breakfast big breakfast,lots of toast whole wheat ,cheese lowfat,meats,jams and lowfat milk

then from then on every 2 hours i must eat a light snack,fruits or vegtables

lunch: wholewheat bread again,lowfat butter and more fruits

then back to two hour intervals snacks

and dinner i eat what i want and after 8pm i cant eat


oh yes and green tea since it raises you metabolisim

There is no 'good' sugar, Daz. They all do the exact same thing, create carbs. If you don't burn them off, they convert to fat. Like I said in my post, it's about portion control, and your actiity level. Denying yourself from the occaisional indulgence is utterly stupid.

One word - Splenda - it's just a chlorinated sugar molecule. Tastes the same, but 0 calories.

Fructose, sugar found in fruit, is better than processed sugar that you'd put in coffee actually.

Like I said in my post, cutting down on sugar will help you lose weight. Occasional indulgence is another matter, and not something I even mentioned.

I do think that Atkins work, however, that eating the ridiculos amount of fat the diet allows don't. Stick to the proteins and lose the sugar. I lost 17 pounds in a month, starting with a two weeks Atkins diet (which is the maximum recommended time when you try the diet for the time according to the Swedish health ministrary).

[ QUOTE ]
Oxy, I live 30 miles away from where I work and am as fit as a fiddle.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea, and you also live in a very urban area with lots of health options around you and the money to spend for a better diet. You have the educational opportunities to realize how things work. (BTW Im in good condition also, so Im not trying to defend because Im so overweight junky)

What Im saying is we can use our own situation as proof one way or another. Each persons circumstances are different. Without knowing those circumstances its ignorant to claim laziness... to a point (me shudders as remembers Mojos FAT chick porn link [think BEYOND Fat]).

I can accept that it costs more to shop in Trader Joe's over Safeway perhaps, but geography? Nah, I don't see how geography has anything to do with personal physical fitness sorry. Of course each persons circumstances are different! We could all find an excuse to be fat. I could quite easily use my long working hours as an excuse but I don't because no matter how busy I get at work, I don't let it jeapordise fitness. And as for suggesting that because Im educated I have access to info about health and nutrition, Im not sure I buy that argument either anymore. Anyone who in this day and age eats mcDonalds every day and doesn't exercise and can't understand that that's the reason they're obese, well, frankly they deserve to be obese If they're really that stupid. I think laziness is a pretty common reason for obesity so call me ignorant [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

There is a difference between stupidity and ignorance. Stupidity is when faced with the knowledge, you continue the same thing without even thinking about.

k love u, by by pretty lady.

The best diet you can have is to just eat a few peices of lettuce for lunch and dinner, skip breakfast, a glass of water with lemon, and jog 4 miles a day. Or just do crack. You lose more weight that way. After all, there's no difference in weight loss programs, and healthy eating. */sarcasm*

Cutting down on natural sugar to safe moderate levels will help you cut lots of things. Like risk of cancer. Problem is, today most foods include processed sugars, which often have worse side effects, and are given in larger amounts than should normally be taken. HFCS is an epidemic in America. So avoiding large quantities of sugar, fat, or carbs, means avoiding most foods. Which leads to these bullshit diet fads. Eat natural organics, and stay active. If high fructose corn syrups is the 1st or 2nd main ingredient, put it back.

edit: anyone who claims eating an apple is risky, where as a dish of steak and potatoes is encouraged, has to be mentally impaired.

Increase your activity, decrease your consumption. It is pretty darn simple.

I've been trying to lose some weight and get back in shape for the last 2 months, and have had great success. I cut down on "empty" snacks, decreased portion sizes, began running stairs 2x per week, one distance run, and about 10 hours boxing/martial arts a week.

My starting weight was 235, currently 217, goal is 208 at which point I will once again look like an athlete.

The reason why I gained so much weight was due to the computer job (duh) in conjunction with the fact that I still ate like the high school athlete that I used to be. Not too surprising that I packed on a few pounds.

Now, a word on Atkins, which I tried for awhile. If you are sedentary, and plan on staying that way, Atkins may work OK for you. If you plan on doing intense exercise in conjunction with dietary changes, Atkins is a horrible program. You need some carbs to burn during exercise. When I was trying Atkins, I would bonk out after 15 minutes of exercise, even though my body was fully capable of doing much more. I simply had no sustained energy, and would get horribly fatigued, which puts you at higher risk for injury if you try to push through it. Bad. Just bad. I was much better off just decreasing my portion sizes, trying to be a bit healthier with what I was eating, and increasing my exercise level. Plus, this is a much easier program to stick with rather than trying to stick to some bizarre dietary restrictions.

JO420: with that much daily exercise I don't really think you'll need to change your diet that drastically. If you drink soda, stop, it's just a sugar slurry you're drinking, I've kind of fallen off the wagon with excercise and diet but I haven't gained any weight back because I don't consume the massive amounts of soda I used to.

What I did when I was dieting was park my exercise bike infront of my computer then play a game I could use a gamepad on as I cycled (it was Final Fantasy 8 at the time). It takes your mind off the cycling and sometimes there are the "I'll just do this little bit before I stop" moments, that can keep happening, so you end up cycling more than you intended [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

It seems like the best diet one can have is the same diet we had before agriculture came about (processed foods). So that would be plants and animals strictly. It seems to make sence.. plants for your carbs and nurtrition, animals for fat and protein.

Kinda interesting.. JO claims its easier to live healthy in europe than in the states and gets a bunch of replies that's not the fact. In that case, why is it that "everyone" is fattening up to the point of beein obese in the US? If its not due to cultural/ geographic influences then what? People are just more stupid over sea? Beats me...

Anyways.. You seem to be on the right track JO. Beeing aware of what you eat and gettin that daily exercise is really all you need. Its common sense really. Try think what the human body was originally meant to eat. Meat, fruits, vegetables nuts, berrys etc etc And work your way from there.

My only tip in the beginning is to not overdo it from the start so you loose motivation after a short while. Also gettin someone to work out with is a real good trick to stay at it.. Gl with the training man, maybe a before and after picture this christmas? (nude ofcourse [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img])

oh and Cubik. 17 pounds in a month? isnt that like 8 kg's? you were able to keep that weight afterwards?

I'd have to disagree with Atkins being a nonsense fad diet. When I was on it I went from about 82kg to 75kg in about a month. Then I went back to uni and didn't eat particularly healthily and it took about a year to get back up to about 80. I went on atkins again and am down to about 75 once again. Currently trying to stick to it better to shunt more off.
I never had a problem with sustained energy, I was doing about 30 minutes on the exercise bike a day and still felt fine.

I guess some diets just work better for some people than others.

Atkins definitely can work. It just isn't for me.

Personally, I don't consider cycling "intense" exercise, unless you are racing or going at about that intensity level.

I had really severe fatigue issues when trying to do exercise on Atkins. My exercise program is probably a bit more strenuous than most people on this board are used to, however. 3-7 mile runs, weights, stair running, 1.5 hour bike commute round trip, boxing or full contact stick fighting 5-7 rounds, 4 hours wrestling/Ju-Jutsu, miscellaneous shadow boxing, rope jumping, etc.

When on Atkins, I was fine doing weights and a bit of cycling. Whenever I needed a lot of energy for the more rigorous phases of my workout, I came up seriously lacking. I would bonk out, and couldn't finish the exercise. This becomes really obvious when you are working out with a training partner of similar abilities. If I was running, I'd get smoked. If boxing, stickfighting, or wrestling, I'd gas out.

At first, I thought that I was just having bad workout days. But I quickly figured out that for me, zero carbs = poor athletic performance. I began experimenting with more carbs on high intensity workout days, and the improvement in my performance was consistently better.

For me, it is just easier to watch what I eat a bit, and exercise more. And I definitely need carbs to exercise.