The Up and Down Struggle of Weight Loss

[TotallyOz]

I have gone up and down for a bit. I actually posted the weight loss journey I had last year. This year has gone well but I wanted to get ready for the San Francisco to Los Angeles Aids Lifecycle for charity. It is 550 miles in 7 days. I did it last year but I was not ready for it. I wanted to try it again this year but to be better prepared.

 

I started getting ready in Chiang Mai in March and took a few escorted bike tours. They were mostly mountain bike trips and I had a nice time. They were not terribly long but they were enough to get me back into shape for the ride.

 

I then went back to the fitness facility I had gone to previously http://www.camptechnique.com They are simply wonderful and they put a schedule in place for me to have enough riding and cross training to get the trip done and be prepared for it. Luckily, most of their rides were on the beach with beautiful scenery and they averaged 18-30 miles per ride. Doing this 3-5 times a week for my six week stay really helped me prepare for this event. The guys at Camp Technique are amazing and I had a fabulous time there. They are a bit expensive but they were worth every penny IMHO. I decided the best way to loose weight was to do it naturally instead of taking some miracle drug where the side effects short term and long term are unknown. I had one friend who took some drugs in Thailand for this and he turned from a kind and gentle man to a total psycho. All his friends think the drug had a great deal to do with it. I was not willing to take that risk.

 

The camp was a struggle this time. Not physically but it did not produce the weight loss I expected in 6 weeks. I was working out up to 8 hours a day 6 days a week and only loosing one pound. The owner knew something was wrong. He wanted me to go to a doctor in Beverly Hills in order to find out what is happening. The doctor specializes in this and while a bit more than I had ever paid for an office visit, it was truly worth it. He did a full blood work up with over 13 viles of blood to test every thing imaginable. What he found was the cause of me not being able to loose weight the way I should. It was not the reason I gained weight as I know that eating the wrong foods and drinking too much sodas with tons of chemicals had really taken a toll on my body.

 

The drug regiment he put me on was a combination of vitamins and minerals as well as drugs for hormones, thyroid, and about 4 other things I can't pronounce. He also is having me do a sleep study as he said anyone who does not sleep will not loose weight properly as that is needed nightly for the body to recover.

 

After my bike ride, I flew to the deep south to spend 2 days with my grandmother and then back to LA to see the doctor again. That night I boarded a plane and headed to Thailand. I won't see immediate results in the weight but I should start to see them when I get the right mix of meds and exercise.

 

I have another task I really want to do this fall that I am preparing for along with one of my best female friends. We expect to go back to that Camp and train for a month in order to do the event in September.

 

My goal is weight loss is not to look great in the mirror but to get healthy. I also have a dream of finding a way to spend my money in Thailand on a charity. I have almost decided that I want to do a bike ride from Pattaya to Bangkok with all the money going to charities in the area. Does anyone think this would fly? Am I wasting my time and energy?

[Guest laurence]

My goal is weight loss is not to look great in the mirror but to get healthy. I also have a dream of finding a way to spend my money in Thailand on a charity. I have almost decided that I want to do a bike ride from Pattaya to Bangkok with all the money going to charities in the area. Does anyone think this would fly? Am I wasting my time and energy?

 

Since you asked, yes, I think it is a waste of time and energy. Also dangerous to ride a bike in Thailand.

Start a charity and solicit donations from friends or board members who could care less about you pumping your butt from Hell to Eternity.

 

[Guest Asmerom]

I was working out up to 8 hours a day 6 days a week and only loosing one pound. The owner knew something was wrong. He wanted me to go to a doctor in Beverly Hills in order to find out what is happening. The doctor specializes in this and while a bit more than I had ever paid for an office visit, it was truly worth it. He did a full blood work up with over 13 viles of blood to test every thing imaginable. What he found was the cause of me not being able to loose weight the way I should. It was not the reason I gained weight as I know that eating the wrong foods and drinking too much sodas with tons of chemicals had really taken a toll on my body

 

 

Then you must have been eating as many calories as you were using.That's what was wrong. There can be no other explanation. Simple. It really doesn't need a doctor to know that. What have vitamins, hormones or minerals got to do with the simple scientific equation that using up more calories than you consume will result in weight loss. You eat less or excercise more or both.

 

If you follow that simple rule no amount of sleep loss or blood disorders could prevent the loss of weight. The only problem is the simple rule is difficult to follow.

 

But best of luck anyway with your furious bike riding.

 

 

 

[PattayaMale]

I think your idea of a bike ride from Pattaya to Bangkok is well worth trying but I would suggest you do the ride from Bangkok to Pattaya. I believe there is a gay riding club in Bangkok but am not sure if you meant bike ride or life cycle ride.

 

I would think if you had some well connected Thais and could not only sell it as a charity but as a way to bring international tourist in to participate it may help and could become an annual event. But it sounds like a big task but one with your determination you might pull off.

 

I wish I was financially able to help with a charity to buy some land and create a soccer field in Pattaya for the use of the guys that work in the clubs. Not sure but I think it could be self supporting with tournaments and other events even creating revenue for other charities.

 

Whatever you decide I will try to donate something, but no way could I ride. I could walk on a treadmill but it may stretch the event out to six months!

[Guest]

Then you must have been eating as many calories as you were using.That's what was wrong. There can be no other explanation. Simple. It really doesn't need a doctor to know that. What have vitamins, hormones or minerals got to do with the simple scientific equation that using up more calories than you consume will result in weight loss. You eat less or excercise more or both.

 

If you follow that simple rule no amount of sleep loss or blood disorders could prevent the loss of weight. The only problem is the simple rule is difficult to follow.

 

But best of luck anyway with your furious bike riding.

 

My meals were hand cooked by a chef daily and were 1800 calories with the right amount of carbs and protein for my body and weight. I did not eat more than 1800 calories any day. I did not cheat on the diet. Paying almost 600 USD a day for the program it would be nuts not to follow the diet and the rules. No smoking, no drugs, no booze, no caffein.

 

And, yes it is possible to eat 1800 calories a day and burn off more than 4000 a day and not loose weight. I did it. There were others that were in the same boat. Yes, blood, hormones, etc all do play a role in what your body will allow you to loose or not loose.

 

The simple rule you use for weight loss is just a formulation and not for everyone. Ask any doctor who specializes in this.

[Guest]

I think your idea of a bike ride from Pattaya to Bangkok is well worth trying but I would suggest you do the ride from Bangkok to Pattaya. I believe there is a gay riding club in Bangkok but am not sure if you meant bike ride or life cycle ride.

 

I would think if you had some well connected Thais and could not only sell it as a charity but as a way to bring international tourist in to participate it may help and could become an annual event. But it sounds like a big task but one with your determination you might pull off.

 

I wish I was financially able to help with a charity to buy some land and create a soccer field in Pattaya for the use of the guys that work in the clubs. Not sure but I think it could be self supporting with tournaments and other events even creating revenue for other charities.

 

Whatever you decide I will try to donate something, but no way could I ride. I could walk on a treadmill but it may stretch the event out to six months!

 

I will give the ride a chance myself as that is an excellent idea. I think you are also right about getting some more press involved. Some great ideas. Thank you.

[KhorTose]

Really good timing. Tonight on 60 minutes one of the segments was a summery of the bad results one gets from deep sleep deprivation. One doctor has found a definite correlation between lack of deep sleep and weight gain. Your ability to get deep rem sleep with alpha waves appears to

decrease with age and may actually be the reason for slow mental processes in seniors. Also related to diabeties. Goody the story is on their web site.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

 

 

[Guest Asmerom]

My meals were hand cooked by a chef daily.

Paying almost 600 USD a day for the program it would be nuts. (I AGREE. NUTS-Asmerom)

 

And, yes it is possible to eat 1800 calories a day and burn off more than 4000 a day and not loose weight. I did it. There were others that were in the same boat. Yes, blood, hormones, etc all do play a role in what your body will allow you to loose or not loose.

 

The simple rule you use for weight loss is just a formulation and not for everyone. Ask any doctor who specializes in this.

 

Isn' there a doctor in the house?

Preferably one who doesn't charge $600 a day to bamboozle you into believing the earth is flat? GT, Are you a flat-earther or even a creationist? By the way, you'd lose a few more calories if you cooked your own food rather than hiring a chef. I get a funny feeling that someone who goes to that expense is somehow a little divorced from the reality of sweat and tears.

 

I repeat " eat more calories than you burn and you will gain weight ; burn more calories than you eat and you will lose weight".

Surely this must be a scientific fact; an immutable law of physics which cannot be contradicted.

If you pour more liquid into a vessel at one end than is coming out at the other end the liquid will build up inside the vessel. Do you agree? Its exactly the same with body fat and food both of which can be expressed as energy or calories.

 

If you expend more energy than you consume you MUST lose weight. Its set in stone.

 

Something like an underactive thyroid (which I have) can reduce your metabolism ( the speed with which your body converts the food into energy) but this doesn't affect the principle that to put on weight you must ingest the food/energy/calories.

 

I only wish some qualified medical sage could step in and set the record straight.I have no expertise in this matter I'm just repeating what I "know" to be true.

 

 

 

[Guest]

Isn' there a doctor in the house?

Preferably one who doesn't charge $600 a day to bamboozle you into believing the earth is flat?

 

LOL. The doctor was not 600 a day, the spa was. If I was able to find any doctor in Beverly Hills who only charged 600 a day, I think I would put them on full retainer. Normally, that is their hourly rate.

 

BTW I have travelled around the earth at least 20 times over the years and never saw anything but a flat view from the plane. Seeing is believing. I guess you may still be under the assumption the Saddam had WMD's? After all, we were told that over and over again so it must be true.

[Guest fountainhall]

BTW I have travelled around the earth at least 20 times over the years and never saw anything but a flat view from the plane. Seeing is believing

 

I've done a few more and was once upgraded to Concorde - but still could not see the curvature of the earth. Yes, the world is indeed flat.

[Smiles]

I repeat " eat more calories than you burn and you will gain weight ; burn more calories than you eat and you will lose weight" . . . If you expend more energy than you consume you MUST lose weight. Its set in stone ... "

GayThailand, Asmerom is absolutely right on with these comments.

Losing weight is all about calories in and calories out . . . believing in much else is a waste of time and ~ probably worse ~ contributing to the Orpra-ization of intelligence in general.

 

Eat less, eat better, exercise more (mostly aerobically): do that every day of your life for a minimum of 40 minutes or so ~ OK OK, but at the very least 4 times a week anyway ~ and you will succeed (slowly and surely) taking off the weight you want, and, more importantly, keeping it off for life.

 

All else is smoke and mirrors (in your case, obscenely expensive ones) and a rather neurotic 'need' to believe in any weight loss concept except for the simplest (and most obvious) formula.

 

The simple rule you use for weight loss is just a formulation and not for everyone. Ask any doctor who specializes in this.

It does apply to everyone. The issue is that you are having no success using other methods and then deciding to complicate the reasons for the lack of success.

 

Simply put, the doctors who you've been listening to on this are quacks.

 

" ... He also is having me do a sleep study as he said anyone who does not sleep will not loose weight properly as that is needed nightly for the body to recover ... "

Waste of money. One of the great side benefits of (almost) everyday aerobic exercise is that soon after starting you'll inevitably start getting a much better sleep. The body will do this all by itself without need of doctors or sleep pattern analysis.

 

Cheers ...

[Guest]

Losing weight is all about calories in and calories out

 

Very few things in life are ALL about only one thing. But, your post did make me laugh, much needed after a day in the sun and the boyfriend laughed as I took a shower and yelped too much as the water hit my red nose and bald spot.

 

I do wonder if the same number of calories from McDonalds would garner the same results as an equal number of calories from a home cooked meal? Or, if a day of meals mostly of carbohydrates would be the same as one that contained only protein?

 

A balance of all is needed in order for the body to get what it needs as well as to function the way it is meant to work. Both carbs and protein are needed.

 

Smiles you are right in that exercise is the way to succeed in the loss of weight. But, to think that calories in and calories out is the only method used for all people really does not become a man of such natural intelligence as yourself.

 

Bodies are meant to be machines and when they are given the wrong fuel for so many years there is damage that is done. In my own case, over 20 years of not only wrong fuel but no tunes up or oil checks. The engine needs a major overhaul in order to go across country.

 

I went back to the fitness camp not to loose weight but to get ready for the AIDS Lifecycle 2008 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Loosing weight was not my top priority. I have kept over 80 pounds off for over a year. I still have much more to go but have been happy with the progress so far. The camp was there to provide me with a means to prepare for a ride that I loved last year but was so unprepared for that my body just went into shock on the first night last year. Since I had the time and I wanted to do the ride again, I thought the smart thing to do was to allow professionals to train me for the ride. I gave them 6 weeks to do this and they did a wonderful job with it. You may consider it an massive waste of money. I didn’t and I won’t even go into how much my week in Thailand is costing with the boyfriend and two of his friends.

 

While I was there for 6 weeks, I lost a total of 16 pounds. That is not bad but it is NOT what your formulation for calories and weight loss should have been. The last 3 weeks of the training I lost only 1 pound each week. When exercising 6-8 hours per day every day for 6 days every week and eating less than 1800 calories every day, your formulation just doesn’t hold true. Every Wednesday, I was given one trainer for my personal use to do a long run along the beach. We ran for 10 miles, hiked a mountiain for 2 miles and then ran back for another 10 miles. That was my morning activity. To do that and along with the other activities which I did for the bike ride and to loose only one pound does not make sense. It didn’t to me and it didn’t to those who were training me.

 

Going to a doctor that specializes in hormones gave me a different picture of where my body was at and where it needed it be.

 

Low thyroid levels cause decreased body temperature, increased cholesterol and body fat. It can contribute to a sluggishness and low energy. As we age, thyroid levels sometimes decrease, causing our body temperature and metabolism to dip below normal. I will assume using your formulation Smiles that everyone’s metabolism is the same? In my case, it is not. My thyroid is a major disaster and needs a face lift. No amount of calorie control and exercise will be able to change this.

 

Sleep is also essential. Just saying daily exercise will make sure you get enough sleep is simply simplistic in thought. There are combinations of things that are needed for accurate amounts of sleep.

 

I would happily go on and on with this Smiles, but I am on a tropical island with the boyfriend and 2 other sexy Thai boys so I don’t have time to pick apart each of your points but please give me time and I will.

 

We just spent the day snorkeling and swimming. I used the treadmill at the hotel after the boat ride. Tomorrow we go rock climbing. I am sure that my calories in today were less than the ones used so I’ll look forward to a loss of weight in 2 days.

 

 

[Guest laurence]

I am in the same same boat as GT, no matter what I do I cannot lose weight. I workout one hour a day, every day, at the gym and watch my food intake. No sugar of any kind; only non fat milk, yogurt and cottage cheese; fresh fruit and veggies; little red meat; no fast food; no fatty snacks and never more than a six-pack of beer plus a bottle of wine per day. And I only gain, never lose.

[Smiles]

" ... I am in the same same boat as GT, no matter what I do I cannot lose weight. and never more than a six-pack of beer plus a bottle of wine per day ... "

Love it!!!!

 

GayThailand, forget about insulting me, I'm immune: ( " ... to think that calories in and calories out is the only method used for all people really does not become a man of such natural intelligence as yourself ... ").

 

Obviously you have embraced an 'idea' regarding your weight loss struggle ... but the wrong 'idea' on every possible level. So I'll say no more, but just take a look at these links and read for yourself:

 

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/f.../loseweight.htm

 

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exerc...ic_exercise.htm

 

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/preven..._wtcontrol.aspx

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-the-Best...s?&id=35405

 

http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/Exercise.html

 

Cheers ...

[Bob]

and never more than a six-pack of beer plus a bottle of wine per day. And I only gain, never lose.

 

Lol. Bingo!

 

[Guest Asmerom]

I do wonder if the same number of calories from McDonalds would garner the same results as an equal number of calories from a home cooked meal.

 

Going to a doctor that specializes in hormones gave me a different picture of where my body was at and where it needed it be.

Low thyroid levels cause decreased body temperature, increased cholesterol and body fat. It can contribute to a sluggishness and low energy. As we age, thyroid levels sometimes decrease, causing our body temperature and metabolism to dip below normal. I will assume using your formulation Smiles that everyone’s metabolism is the same? In my case, it is not. My thyroid is a major disaster and needs a face lift. No amount of calorie control and exercise will be able to change this.

 

Sleep is also essential. Just saying daily exercise will make sure you get enough sleep is simply simplistic in thought. There are combinations of things that are needed for accurate amounts of sleep.

 

Gay Thailand clearly lives on another planet. Not only is it very expensive and quite flat but our Earthly laws of physics don't apply.Happily, it seems to be a seductive environment filled with sensual pleasures ,blue waters, cloudless skies,lovely boys and a weight problem brought on by sleepless nights, hormone imbalances, too much excercise,too many green salads,and fairies at the bottom of the garden.

 

The answer to the MacDonalds question is an emphatic YES.

 

GT, You speak of your thyroid problem as a major disaster which cannot be changed. Surely your hormone doctor has given you the appropriate amount of thyroid supplement tablets to restore your metabolism to normal? Its a common complaint of the elderly and very easily cured.

 

Lack of sleep by itself doesn't miraculously induce the pounds to pile on. It works through the normal mechanism whereby it appears to turn off the trigger which controls appetite so that you never feel full and consequently eat more. It works through that immutable principle which applies here on Earth.

 

Enjoy the rock climbing and I'm sure you'll be quite safe, even though challenged by excess

weight ,as the law of Gravity won't be operating on that idyllic tropical island on your planet.

[Guest]

Love it!!!!

 

GayThailand, forget about insulting me, I'm immune: ( " ... to think that calories in and calories out is the only method used for all people really does not become a man of such natural intelligence as yourself ... ").

 

Obviously you have embraced an 'idea' regarding your weight loss struggle ... but the wrong 'idea' on every possible level. So I'll say no more, but just take a look at these links and read for yourself:

 

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/f.../loseweight.htm

 

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exerc...ic_exercise.htm

 

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/preven..._wtcontrol.aspx

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-the-Best...s?&id=35405

 

http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/Exercise.html

 

Cheers ...

 

Honestly, I wasn't trying to insult you. Not my intent. I have always loved your postings and just tried to point that out.

 

On this we disagree. I could also point to a hundred websites that say there was no holocaust or that the Bible is the the true way that the earth was formed. That is the thing about the Internet, you can find lots of things to prove your point even if it is based on fiction.

 

 

[Guest]

Gay Thailand clearly lives on another planet.

 

GT, You speak of your thyroid problem as a major disaster which cannot be changed. Surely your hormone doctor has given you the appropriate amount of thyroid supplement tablets to restore your metabolism to normal?

 

Enjoy the rock climbing and I'm sure you'll be quite safe, even though challenged by excess

weight ,as the law of Gravity won't be operating on that idyllic tropical island on your planet.

 

1. I live on earth. I just have rose colored glasses. I prefer it that way. Can anyone live in Pattaya without them?

 

2. Yes, the doctor gave me supplements for the Thyroid. That was only one week ago. We have to get everything in balance and then see where things go.

 

3. Thanks for the rock climbing tips. The BF and I did a rock climbing trip in Chiang Mai and I think I said that the bigger you are, the harder you fall. Find that post of mine on here if you want to see that I do believe in gravity. True in my case for sure. But, I also believe in the tooth fairy and sweet kisses and Thai boys that love me (well, one out of 2,000 anyway)

 

But, i appreciate your wonderful sentiments and know you hope me a happy time with no gravity induced injuries.

 

 

[KhorTose]

One advantage to having that extra weight is that if you do fall, you will only bounce.

[Guest laurence]

GT, Your post on ups and downs of weight loss sure has generated a lot of interest. You really opened a can of worms, gummy worms, yummy-yummy.