The plan to win my 12-year battle with the bulge at last

jed says:

06:10am | 15/10/09

i love how there’s a picture with hugh jackman, just to remind us who this bloke is. this bloke is about annoying as that bird who was a bridesmaid at princess mary’s funeral, then went on to mug for the camera at every opportunity.

Kellie says:

06:34am | 15/10/09

You can’t do any harm by trying…  II’ve had a life long battle similar to your 12-year battle, but ‘m well on my way, starting out at 109kg at only 5’4” in height, I have already lost 14 kilos.

I used to despise exercise, but I am really loving it at the moment.  In the past I have made it a chore, make grueling gym visits a mandatory daily practice which has eventually annoyed me because it ate up too much of my “down time” and I gave up.  I’m older and wiser now, my gym program is fun and instead of spending an hour a day in the gym, I spent an hour and a half every second day.  On the inbetween day, it’s entirely my choice what I do and if I choose to do nothing, I make that choice without guilt—- although I am loving the more active, healthier, lighter me so much that usually those days involve walking with the dog or a friend, or going swimming which I really enjoy.

In a nut shell… make it enjoyable.  When you enjoy something, it’s easy.

Go for it !!!

Kellie says:

06:37am | 15/10/09

Oh, and Gus… try http://www.fitday.com fo your exercise/food/weight diary.  It’s free, and it gives you some awesome charts to see your progress, the food diary automatically calculates the calories for you, I’ve found it VERY helpful.

David Gillespie says:

06:56am | 15/10/09

Gus for as long as you believe this is about willpower, you will fail (or more accurately - you will succeed and then fail as the weight comes back).  The alternative is to do what what I and thousands of other Australians have done and simply break your addiction to sugar.

Lyndon says:

07:41am | 15/10/09

good luck

my motivation to keep fit is to know it will help prolong my life. i.e i don’t want to die young (and fat) - if you cant get motivated by something as simple as that there is something terribly fundamentally wrong with you mental state

iansand says:

08:11am | 15/10/09

I am losing a bit at the moment.  I had some great advice from my doctor.

Step 1 - Decide you really want to (not that it might be a good idea some day).  In my case a minor health scare helped.

Step 2 - Eat less.  No fads.  Just put less on your plate (but really thinking about the nature of what is on you plate will help)

Step 3 - Exercise more.  I park a few hundred metres further away from work and don’t go to the closest coffee shop, for example.  But what has really made a difference is buying and using a pedometer.  The 10,000 steps thing.  When I get home I check it and I know I have to knock off another 5,000 steps (if I didn’t do it in the morning).  It might be my personality but if I have a target to aim at I am more likely to try to reach it.

Step 4 - Don’t expect miracles.  It is a long campaign.  If you are trending downwards - even 0.5 kilos/week - you are trending downwards.  That is the aim - not the fad diet 10 kg in 2 weeks stuff.

So far, so good.

hoofman says:

08:13am | 15/10/09

Keep it simple, big guy. Eat less, move more. I intend to be a healthy 90 yo with that simple credo.

julie says:

08:20am | 15/10/09

get a kinesiology balance and find out what’s blocking you from doing it.
and greensmoothiechallenge.com. good luck!

FB4ME says:

08:38am | 15/10/09

Gus I have no doubt that you will reach your goal of 100kgs. Unfortunately I also have no doubt that sometime in the next 5 years your weight will be over 130kgs. I’m sorry to be so negative but diets are great if you want to shift 5kgs or so but at your weight they have a 97% failure rate over 5 years. In other words if 100 people of your weight andage went on a diet, in 5 years only three would weigh less then they do today. Perhaps you’ll be one of the three. However you’ve seen the results of dieting at least twice before

Isn’t one of the definitions of insanity repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results?

My suggestion would be to get medical assistance. You need to realise that at 125kgs this isn’t puppy fat. Your doctor can refer you to a dietitian and inform you of your full range of options.

However, whatever path you choose I wish you well

H says:

09:12am | 15/10/09

On ya Gus! I reckon add regular visits to your GP for some good feedback on how your going. Also keep us posted by updating on The Punch!

Gus says:

09:21am | 15/10/09

sorry Jed….not my idea to have that photo. sad you dont like me after never meeting me. I am just trying to get healthy, sorry if that upsets you.

Tails says:

09:21am | 15/10/09

Mate, I’ve just run a marathon. I decided to do it to a) get fit and b) lose the roof over the toolshed. It half worked. I’m fitter than I’ve ever been, but I weigh exactly the same as when I started training. Why? I’d eat and drink whatever I liked because I knew I’d be running 14, 20 or 25kms later that day.
It’s a simple equation - you have to burn more than what you put in.
I love a beer and a red as much as the next guy and they’re the killer.
And it’s not just the drink. It’s the crap you eat when you drink.
Don’t get down on yourself for eating a banana, that’s the least of your worries.
And don’t try to lose all the weight fast. A change in lifestyle will be way more beneficial in the long run. Don’t stop having a glass of wine at night and a couple of beer on the weekend if you enjoy it. But treat them as a reward, not a routine. If you’ve done the hard work during the day, they’ll taste even better.
Good luck champ.

Gail says:

09:26am | 15/10/09

You should try the Don’t Go Hungry Diet by Amanda Sainsbury-Salis. This is a scientifically proven approach and results are permanent. http://www.dramandaonline.com/

Clover says:

10:13am | 15/10/09

Good one!
My advice: find something that works for you and ignore everyone telling you ‘Oh but you MUST do this’.
And ignore the naysayers, who invited them along anyway.

Madame Boodwah says:

11:25am | 15/10/09

Gus I know your a married man and good on your for taking control of your situation but there women out who did love big men!

http://realitybytes101.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-big-beautiful.html

stephen says:

11:40am | 15/10/09

All you fatties might want to ring a skinny model, and ask them how they do it. (I mean, they gotta come in handy sometime, eh bro’ ?)

AFR says:

12:40pm | 15/10/09

Boo-hoo. How about you eat less crap, less grog and get more exercise.

Jeremy says:

02:12pm | 15/10/09

98 kilos down to 82.  Stopped eating crap, started calorie counting, excercised more.  Have managed to maintain it for several months now as well.  Best of luck to you.

Adam says:

02:21pm | 15/10/09

All the best!

My advice, for what it’s worth, don’t see it as weight loss, its training for your other activities.

Second piece of advice. Buy a bike. Ride to the gym if possible. Ride for 2 hours in Centennial park or Homebush. You’ll be surprised how well it works.

Nickk says:

03:52pm | 15/10/09

AFR, that’s exactly what he said he’s going to do…

Greg says:

09:47am | 16/10/09

Go Gus!
I’m down from 130kg to around 90 and kept it off for 4 years or so.
A few tips from the trenches:
Best tip - Give away ALL your big clothes as you loose weight - it’s to easy to go to the wardrobe and get out a bigger shirt. If you only have clothes that fit you soon notice a few kg sneaking back on.
Train you thinking - instead of enjoying every bit of food on the plate LEARN to enjoy leaving food on the plate - this really helps if you are eating out and/or eating by yourself, on planes, etc. The food you leave is a visable, actual indicator of your NEW thinking. Seeing the food you didn’t need and didn’t eat (and if you’re thinking right - didn’t want) is a reward in itself.
If you slip, don’t keep jumping. OK you have a beer and 20 cashews, just because you’re off the straight and narrow doesn’t mean you need to wipe out 2 pizzas and 2 litres of rum and raisin icecream. Calories are cumulative - you don’t get a clean slate tomorrow morning.
Find a plan that works for you - I believe our metabolisms are as different as our hair colour, height and nose shapes.
Keep at it - some days it’s a grind but it’s worth it to have your pick of the clothes rack in a normal menswear store.

Big Fella says:

09:04pm | 16/10/09

Good on you Gus. I started putting on weight when I started working and have steadily increased over the years. Managed to have a couple of good drops in weight but every time put it back on. Hit just under 90kg about 9 years ago and earlier this year dropped to 102kg but now have ballooned back up to 130kg+, yep 28kg in a little over 6 months. This little battle has been raging for almost 22 years.
The only thing I have learnt over the years is that you first have to take responsibility for your weight, can’t believe how long that took me. Secondly you have to want to lose the weight for you and be determined to do it. if you get those two right then those you say do your own thing are spot on, if you want to lose weight any program will help. Seems simple!
For whats it worth from one big fella to another I think you are on the right track and I wish you the very best. Better yet this is the best reason I can think of to jump in and give being healthy another go, I want to be around for my kids and grand-kids too. If you can do it so can I. Begone chocolate bars and hot chips!!!!!!!