Consumerist reader Tyler weighed 344 pounds and is trying to lose 100 of them. So far he’s lost 32 in 6 weeks. Here are some of his secrets:
- Burn more calories than you take in
- Drink water all day
- Moderate, not eliminate – it’s ok to eat “bad” things, just in small amounts
- Make gym mandatory
- Have fun with your body once it gets better – play some sports, go dancing, run with the dog!
- Eat wheat instead of white bread
- Keep increasing your workout intensity
- Avoid mirrors
- Tell people about your weight loss
Way to go Tyler! He’s documenting his journey on a blog, and donating $3 for every pound he loses to a charity that fights childhood obesity. Follow along and get inspired at 344pounds.com.
How I Lost 32 Pounds in 6 Weeks [344Pounds]
UPDATE: Reader Loses 54.6 Pounds In 10 Weeks
How I Lost 100.4 Pounds In 6 Months
Another good tip is to get a friend to go at it with you. that may be part of the last tip he gives, which is to tell everyone. The more people that can motivate you, the better, because we all will hit a wall at some point.
I was working out with a friend of mine for a while that would really get on my ass about it if I didn’t do it, to the point of huge arguments, but hey, sometimes that’s what it takes.
What is “Avoid Mirrors” for? Is it to avoid being ashamed of your weight and discouraged? I would think watching improvements would be encouraging, although I guess that could encourage a person to slow down.
I’m 5’4″ and I’m down from 165 in August to 138 a month ago. The fit of my clothes tells me I’m around 135 now. I only weigh myself once or twice a year though. Grad school really fattened me up and then I moved to Mexico for six months, where I couldn’t be bothered to safely prepare fresh fruits and vegetables so nearly my entire diet was processed food. When I moved back up here I followed Dr. Joshi’s Holistic Detox for a while- it’s just an ultra-healthy eating plan, not a supplement-based detox, and it always makes me feel so good that I don’t want to eat any more junk food. For me, Dr. Joshi’s Holistic Detox is like a little gift I give to myself. Today, I cook about 95-98% of the food I eat from scratch, I focus on eating balanced meals rather than counting calories, and I don’t eat the foods that make me sick (wheat and dairy- I’m highly sensitive to them, bordering on having an “official” intolerance). There was a time in my life when I would eat half a pizza knowing full well that I would be up all night throwing up- now I prefer to skip the food and avoid the stomach problems.
As an example of what I’ve been eating while I’ve been losing weight, here’s what I’ve eaten today. Breakfast: Smoothie made with a banana, a huge strawberry, frozen pineapple, frozen mango, chilled green tea, orange juice, vanilla soy milk, plain yogurt, slivered almonds and flax oil. Lunch: Homemade black bean soup (pureed black beans, roasted yams, red pepper, tomato, jalepeno, cilantro and lime juice) with blue corn tortilla chips crumbled in. Dinner: Cold buckwheat noodles topped with broccoli, carrots, tofu, cilantro and dressing (sesame oil, rice vinegar, natural peanut butter, lime juice, raw garlic and Braggs liquid aminos). Beverages: Nettle-aloe-fennel tea (for skin), green tea, Brita-filtered water.
In the last month I’ve started working out as a gym has been installed in my apartment. I LOVE cardio and I would happily do it all day. I often have to pry myself off the machines because I know it’s not healthy to do any more exercise. I also do a lot of walking on the weekends (when it’s not -40 outside) and my job does entail some activity throughout the day.
Tyler is succeeding because he’s following basic nutritional and health guidelines. It is amazing that the diet/weight loss industry can make so much money each year peddling fad diets when such a simple, intuitive regimen as that which Tyler describes will do the trick. I’ve been on Tyler’s diet for my whole life, though I’ve usually referred to it as the “human metabolism” diet: only eat when you’re hungry, stop eating when you’re not hungry (and eat slowly), and move around a bit. Your body will tell you what to do. Not rocket science, not even computer science.
Used to be just one pound of flesh was demanded. Oh inflation.
When did The Consumerist become a weight loss blog?