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ROM Machine. 4 minutes a day, 6 days a week. No kidding.

People don't believe it. I'm tired of arguing about it. It's not perfect, but it's doable, as long as you either have $14.6K to burn (and room for the darn thing) or live near a place that has 'em.

It's fun being 60 and waking up with a pulse in the high 50s. (Actually, it stinks being 60, but if you HAVE to be 60, and evidently I do, you might as well be in some kind of shape ....)

"Zone" type diet. I hate all diets but this approach tends to lead to better results for me.

Sleep and water are critical for me. If I don't sleep right, then I start cheating on my diet.

How much do you exercise per day (or week)?
No exercise except weeding, planting and harvesting, chopping wood for the winter, building fences, etc.

What type of diet (eating style, foods, calorie intake) do you eat?
Occasional whole grain bread, never any rice, potatoes, beans, etc. Otherwise anything goes, lots of chocolate, sometimes a whole meal of chocolate. I don't overdo water.

Are you over-weight?
No

Were you once over-weight and how much weight did you lose?
Around age 30 I peaked about 10 pounds heavier (with less muscle).

In what time frame did it take you?
It was within few months of starting "Fit for Life"

What do you do for self-discipline (motivation)?
Read the book "The Present". Apply it to eating and exercise including what you are eating.

(A bit of a long post, but please humor me)

To start with, a pound of body fat is 3500 calories, so you need to shortfall at least that many to lose a pound. If you burn X calories per day normally, you need to either restrict intake or increase calorie burning. If you restrict more than 500 calories per day for a few days, your body will begin to conserve energy and the net result will be less than a 500 per day loss. So if you stay around the 500 calorie level, you will lose around a pound a week of fat, although it might be a mix of fat and muscle depending on your condition. It is really that simple. Most immediate weight loss is water, not fat.

It’s hard for some to accept that realistically you can best lose only about a pound a week, but if you use that as a goal you can pretty much calculate the number of weeks it will take to reach your goal based on a reasonable reduction of daily caloric intake coupled with a reasonable amount of exercise. And while you gradually lose weight you can gain more insight into what’s best for you as an individual, which is probably the greatest advantage of a gradual diet and exercise change.

Think long term - when you approach your desired “form,” which is a combination of body form and condition, you’ll know best for yourself what got you there and what will keep you there.

>How much do you exercise per day (or week)?

weight lifting twice a week, but if I miss a few weeks, so what? squat, press, dead lift, rows,calve lift, push ups, curls. Form is of utmost importance and utilization of major muscle groups. 8-12 reps, 2 sets, add more weights when it gets too easy. Get somebody to help you out if you’re not familiar with lifting - FORM is the most important aspect.

I use a rowing machine in the cold of winter or when I feel like it, swim, or jog. Maybe 2 or 3 times a week. No fixed plan for me, just when it suits me.

>What type of diet (eating style, foods, calorie intake) do you eat?

Eggs for breakfast, I’ve become a blueberry eater as well, half science half hope on that. Salad at lunch and light dinner. But my eating habits took a while to define. I don’t usually eat meat at home but can chow down on a steak or burger at a restaurant. Mostly chicken and fish at home and veggies/fruits. Addicted to salty pretzel sticks, my downfall..

>Are you over-weight?

After vacation I’m slightly up, but not much at all.

>Were you once over-weight and how much weight did you lose?

Have always been working on the pregnant stomach look since my mid 20’s and was up as much as 40 pounds at various times. Now in early 50’s and lost around the 30 or so I needed to lose in about 12 months (see the above about calories loss).

>In what time frame did it take you?
In my younger days it took 3-4 months, as you get older it takes longer. For me it typically takes twice as long to get rid of the excess as it takes to put it on.

>What do you do for self-discipline (motivation)?
Look in the mirror, are you satisfied? Keep your goals realistic and plan for your own well being on a long term basis. Check out other people to see what you want to look like and use that as motivation. Be good to yourself and you won’t fail.

Good luck

How much do you exercise per day (or week)?

Walk 3-4 miles 4-5 days per week, pushing a heavy stroller and light weight training 3-4 days per week. But some weeks, nada because I'm super busy.

What type of diet (eating style, foods, calorie intake) do you eat?

First and foremost, I eat whole foods and avoid pre-packaged, processed foods. BEER DOESN'T COUNT. I love beer and drink it on the weekends. Processed foods includes bread, pasta, anything from a mix, really anything that has more than one or two ingredients. I also avoid grains and rice: no wheat, no oatmeal. So on a typical day I eat eggs cooked in butter for breakfast, meat and veggies for lunch and dinner. If I want dessert I whip some heavy cream sweetened with Splenda or stevia and put it on strawberries or blueberries. Berries are fairly low-carb and really good for you. I don't count calories, but I don't overeat or eat between meals either. And I treat myself once and a while with whatever I want to eat. I just don't make it a daily or weekly event.

Are you over-weight?

Not now, but I struggled with my weight when I was younger. And I gained a bunch during my pregnancy.

Were you once over-weight and how much weight did you lose?

I lost about 30-40lbs before I switched to whole foods.

In what time frame did it take you?

About 3 months.

What do you do for self-discipline (motivation)?

I feel pretty strongly that I owe it to my husband and son to be healthy and in shape. For my husband, who's fit, because I love him and want him to be proud of my appearance, and for my kid because I want to be able to run and play with him. Plus we don't want him to be one of the kids with a "fat mom or dad". What kind of example is that to set for a kid? "You need to eat healthy, son, but don't mind if I have another slice of cake." I don't think so.

One of the biggest things people losing weight forget is that thin, fit people generally have to work at it. So you can't just diet for a few months and then go back to eating whatever you want. It's a life-long effort you have to constantly maintain. You need to find a way of eating you can live with. Oh, and always plan ahead! Always have the right foods available all the time. Don't get stuck being hungry and digging for something eat, then grabbing junk because it's quick and easy. Make the right foods you need available all the time with planning and prepping.

I lost 125 lbs in a year.about 80 in seven months.

The first 3 months I ate NOTHING with sugar(drinks etc). very little alchol. NOTHING fried. I ate for breakfast - wheat english muffin/toast with peanut butter. lunch grilled chicken salad with light dressing. same for supper. Grilled fish etc lots of veggies to keep me full. no chips nothing. My cholestorol plummeted as did my weight.

I walked whenever and wherever I could.

I have kept it off for almost 5 years now.

I eat little meals thru out the day so I am always "full".

It is not as hard as you think.

The only thing I eat fried now is catfish. once every three months. i snack on veggies etc.

Everything is better when you are thin/in shape. It is unreal. Sex is better sleeping is better. it is worth it and it is not an exaggeration.

I want to lose some weight and have been working-out on an "Elliptical" trainer (I think it is called) for a couple months. I do 3.5 miles in 30 minutes per day, and I work up a good sweat. I burn 300 - 350 calories.

Good for you.

My diet is crappy. I eat when I can and when I reduce intake I feel nutritionally starved. I then go for fats and carbs.

You might consider a nutritionist. Insurance often will pay for the visit or two that it takes to get you on track.

Thus the following questions to those that are willing to answer:

How much do you exercise per day (or week)?

Six days a week. Sundays off. 45 minutes/day minimum.

What type of diet (eating style, foods, calorie intake) do you eat?

Low carb, no wheat/barley/rye. Organics where we can. Low sugar. Calories... about 1500 a day.

Are you over-weight?

In spite of the above, yes. But much less so that before. My goal is to be slightly underweight.

Were you once over-weight and how much weight did you lose?

I lost 60 pounds after a pregnancy.

In what time frame did it take you?

8 months.

What do you do for self-discipline (motivation)?

The thought of being sick from being overweight. The thought of having diabetes, heart disease, losing eye sight, etc.

Good luck on your quest!

Remember that body weight represents a relationship between energy intake and energy expenditure. Energy intake is what you eat. Energy expenditure is from basal metabolic rate (the metabolic engine of your body just ticking over) and voluntary energy expenditure (all physical activity that isn't autonomic). If your weight is staying constant this means that intake equals expenditure. If you are gaining weight (whether fat or muscle or both), your intake is exceeding your expenditure. If you are losing weight (whether fat or muscle or both), your expenditure is exceeding your intake.

Important things to remember:

1. Unless you suffer from an absorption disorder of the small intestine or are in constant training at an Olympic level, it's always easier to take more energy in than it is to expend it.

2. If you're not engaged in muscle-building activity, the excess energy intake will be stored as fat.

3. Your basic metabolic rate cannot be altered significantly enough to bother taking drugs (or herbal supplements) to try to boost it in order to lose fat. There are no magic drugs to increase your amount of brown fat that will burn energy in a futile cycle like mice do to keep warm.

4. Your body won't turn sugar into fat. Humans aren't built that way. De novo synthesis of fat in humans is very limited.

5. Your body cannot turn fat into sugar. Your body isn't built that way either. There is no drug that will enable you to do this.

6. You cannot flush fat from your system. If you had a drug that would suddenly release fat from fat stores, you'd be in serious trouble. Fatty acids are constantly being released and reabsorbed. If you could boost this beyond physiological levels, there's no way you could excrete it through the kidneys. They're not built that way.

7. Your only real choices in losing weight are energy intake restriction or increased energy expenditure through voluntary physical activity or a combination of both. Remember that one small plain cake donut (about 150 kCals) takes over an hour of really fast walking to expend. It's better to figure out your daily energy requirements and then arrange your eating to short you a few hundred calories.

8. Moderate exercise levels for 20 to 30 minutes a few times a week can help make the energy deprivation more bearable. Also, toning up your muscles and increasing muscle mass will increase energy expenditure a bit.

9. There are not many pounds of food wastes coating your colon walls like spackle. People who claim this are ignorant or frauds.