Who else is getting a gut?

[rev]

holy *&^%, i gained 20 pounds my first semester 

[verbal]

I was overwieght when law school started. about 215 pounds. At the end of the semester i was 240 pounds. I am in the army reserve and just rapping up my last few months. I had to pass a pt and body fat test this week to get my money for school. I havent eaten in about 60 hours and i have been hitting the gym. I have lost 11.5 pounds so far. Starting tomorrow afternoon i get to start eating again. I am going to outback to get a steak and baked potatoe. After that i am going to start spending 5 days a week in the gym again and try to eat a lot healtheir this semester. My goal is to be at 200 pounds by May.

[midjeep]

1) I second the recommendation for not restricting your caloric intake to 1800. Your body will go into "starvation mode" which means it will store every calorie into your fat cells, thus making you gain weight.

2) You need to exercise or lift more. Thus your diet needs to reflect that change. Make sure you eat enough protein or else your cardio will destroy the muscles you build up.

3) As for food, pick something healthy and something that YOU like. It is also better to eat 5-6 small meals a day and not to eat anything big before bedtime. Take snacks with you to class like almonds, carrots, apples, whole wheat crackers, meal replacement bars, etc along with a bottle of water. You should also do this in the library or where ever you study. Eventually this eating schedule will turn to habit and it won't be as difficult. (note, when you do bring food to class make sure it doesnt have a strong smell, make a lot of noise when eaten, and too messy for you to type or take notes).

4) Finally, remember to do experiment and pick a lifestyle that works for you. No one here can tell you what is the best diet/exercise program that is best for you. Create your own program and if you fail pick another one and make your adjustments. Yes it is hard to balance your health with your life and law school, but it will only get worse once you start working in a law firm. Remember that this should be a lifestyle change and not just a short-term diet/exercise program. Good luck and happy living!

[sarbinson1]

1) I second the recommendation for not restricting your caloric intake to 1800. Your body will go into "starvation mode" which means it will store every calorie into your fat cells, thus making you gain weight.

2) You need to exercise or lift more. Thus your diet needs to reflect that change. Make sure you eat enough protein or else your cardio will destroy the muscles you build up.

3) As for food, pick something healthy and something that YOU like. It is also better to eat 5-6 small meals a day and not to eat anything big before bedtime. Take snacks with you to class like almonds, carrots, apples, whole wheat crackers, meal replacement bars, etc along with a bottle of water. You should also do this in the library or where ever you study. Eventually this eating schedule will turn to habit and it won't be as difficult. (note, when you do bring food to class make sure it doesnt have a strong smell, make a lot of noise when eaten, and too messy for you to type or take notes).

4) Finally, remember to do experiment and pick a lifestyle that works for you. No one here can tell you what is the best diet/exercise program that is best for you. Create your own program and if you fail pick another one and make your adjustments. Yes it is hard to balance your health with your life and law school, but it will only get worse once you start working in a law firm. Remember that this should be a lifestyle change and not just a short-term diet/exercise program. Good luck and happy living!

I don't consider 1800 starvation.  I know girls who try to restrict to under 1000 and they can only maintain it for a day or two.  I have found if I drink water only 1800 is no problem.  Most of the government websites seem to be of the opinion that if you consistently take in less than the numbers they provide, your body will not adjust and you will lose weight.  Of course, this is the government we're talking about. 

[landrover06]

I'm 5'10 and a muscular 185.  I have always been muscular and this helps my metabolism.  One way to combat fat is to build muscle as the maintenance of the muscle by the body requires fat burning while resting.

My regimen is as follows:

1) Every night, I do 30 pushups and 60 situps.
2) I don't eat after 6 pm.
3) I try to avoid snacking between meals.
4) I skip dinner three nights per week.
5) I fast on juice for 4-7 days at the end of each month.
6) I do a 2 hour martial arts routine (kicking, running, punching, forms, and so forth) or ride a stationary recumbent bike in my garage for an hour, 3 days per week.  This is my private time. I get up at 4:30 am for this.
7) I drink about 90 ounces of pure water a day.

With this regimen, I eat what I want.  For the most part I avoid food that is obviously bad, but I have candy sometimes.  I also sometimes go to fast food joints but I don't go overboard.  For instance, at Burger King, I'll have the Whopper Jr, small fries, and drink, and nothing else.   At McDonalds, 1 hamburger, sometimes 2, and 1 small drink.  At Taco Bell, two soft tacos, no cheese, no sour cream, no guacamole.  I generally avoid mexican food, and prefer asian.  I don't drink coffee, but prefer tea of any kind (esp twig tea, bancha, and green).

I don't believe in diets that eliminate everything that one could want to eat.  So you have to develop a plan that works for you.  This one works for me and is just an example.  185 lbs fits my build as my bones are not big and I tend to be naturally muscular.  If I eliminated all processed foods and restricted my diet, I'd probably be around 165 with very low body fat, but I'd look too skinny.  I'm also 46 years old.  In college, I was 175 lbs.  The heaviest I've ever weighed is 227 lbs.

Good luck.

[jacy85]

You skip dinner half the time and FAST on juice for a week every month?  How the hell is that health?  Sure you can eat whatever you want when you starve yourself for a week each month.   

I'm 5'10 and a muscular 185.  I have always been muscular and this helps my metabolism.  One way to combat fat is to build muscle as the maintenance of the muscle by the body requires fat burning while resting.

My regimen is as follows:

1) Every night, I do 30 pushups and 60 situps.
2) I don't eat after 6 pm.
3) I try to avoid snacking between meals.
4) I skip dinner three nights per week.
5) I fast on juice for 4-7 days at the end of each month.
6) I do a 2 hour martial arts routine (kicking, running, punching, forms, and so forth) or ride a stationary recumbent bike in my garage for an hour, 3 days per week.  This is my private time. I get up at 4:30 am for this.
7) I drink about 90 ounces of pure water a day.

With this regimen, I eat what I want.  For the most part I avoid food that is obviously bad, but I have candy sometimes.  I also sometimes go to fast food joints but I don't go overboard.  For instance, at Burger King, I'll have the Whopper Jr, small fries, and drink, and nothing else.   At McDonalds, 1 hamburger, sometimes 2, and 1 small drink.  At Taco Bell, two soft tacos, no cheese, no sour cream, no guacamole.  I generally avoid mexican food, and prefer asian.  I don't drink coffee, but prefer tea of any kind (esp twig tea, bancha, and green).

I don't believe in diets that eliminate everything that one could want to eat.  So you have to develop a plan that works for you.  This one works for me and is just an example.  185 lbs fits my build as my bones are not big and I tend to be naturally muscular.  If I eliminated all processed foods and restricted my diet, I'd probably be around 165 with very low body fat, but I'd look too skinny.  I'm also 46 years old.  In college, I was 175 lbs.  The heaviest I've ever weighed is 227 lbs.

Good luck.

[sarbinson1]

I'm 5'10 and a muscular 185.  I have always been muscular and this helps my metabolism.  One way to combat fat is to build muscle as the maintenance of the muscle by the body requires fat burning while resting.

My regimen is as follows:

1) Every night, I do 30 pushups and 60 situps.
2) I don't eat after 6 pm.
3) I try to avoid snacking between meals.
4) I skip dinner three nights per week.
5) I fast on juice for 4-7 days at the end of each month.
6) I do a 2 hour martial arts routine (kicking, running, punching, forms, and so forth) or ride a stationary recumbent bike in my garage for an hour, 3 days per week.  This is my private time. I get up at 4:30 am for this.
7) I drink about 90 ounces of pure water a day.

With this regimen, I eat what I want.  For the most part I avoid food that is obviously bad, but I have candy sometimes.  I also sometimes go to fast food joints but I don't go overboard.  For instance, at Burger King, I'll have the Whopper Jr, small fries, and drink, and nothing else.   At McDonalds, 1 hamburger, sometimes 2, and 1 small drink.  At Taco Bell, two soft tacos, no cheese, no sour cream, no guacamole.  I generally avoid mexican food, and prefer asian.  I don't drink coffee, but prefer tea of any kind (esp twig tea, bancha, and green).

I don't believe in diets that eliminate everything that one could want to eat.  So you have to develop a plan that works for you.  This one works for me and is just an example.  185 lbs fits my build as my bones are not big and I tend to be naturally muscular.  If I eliminated all processed foods and restricted my diet, I'd probably be around 165 with very low body fat, but I'd look too skinny.  I'm also 46 years old.  In college, I was 175 lbs.  The heaviest I've ever weighed is 227 lbs.

Good luck.

Holy crap dude, I could never hack that.  I hope you were kidding- I have never skipped dinner (or any other meal) other than when I was too sick to eat. 

[landrover06]

Holy crap dude, I could never hack that.  I hope you were kidding- I have never skipped dinner (or any other meal) other than when I was too sick to eat. 

Yes you could and no, I am not kidding.  In February '94 I earned my 1st degree black belt in tae kwon do.  I earned this belt by fighting other black belts with a cast on my right hand.  A month earlier I had broken my hand while breaking boards in preparation for the test.  I switched jobs in '95, and made the mistake of going to one of the worst companies to work for.  My health suffered as a result.  I didn't sleep much, didn't eat right, stopped exercising for the first time in my life.  Over the year I went from 190 to 227 from the stress and developed a lung condition (same one that killed Reggie White of the Green Bay Packers).  It required a total lifestyle change as there was no cure.  There were only two books which addressed the disease, only one I will mention here.  "Healthy Healing", by Dr Linda Page.  It was in this book that I learned about the disease and how to combat it.  I went on a macrobiotic diet for 6 months (no processed foods), after the book explained to me how to juice fast.  I lost 25 pounds during that time.  My skin cleared and became smoother in texture.  My eyes cleared, I had more energy, could think more clearly, and generally felt and looked like a different person.  More importantly, the disease went away.  Others weren't so fortunate as they took the path of using steroids that decreased their bone density, created ulcers, redistributed fat throughout their body (fat face and legs), and caused severe acne on their face.  It was here I learned how little we need food, especially all that processed crap.  It was an eye-opener.  I also learned the value of exercising the body, doing something every day, something strenuous to get the blood pumping throughout for an hour at least 3x/week.

A fast is very beneficial, but takes will-power and discipline.  Your body will first consume undigested food for energy, clearing out your stomach and large and small intestines.  It will then start to consume diseased and excess cells stored as fat. These cells support the blemishes on your face any body, contribute to fatigue, body odor, and so forth. During this time your stomach will shrink to the size its supposed to be, which is the size of your fist, and your appetite will decrease.  When the diseased and fat cells are being raided, you may see a daily drop in your weight.  I would lose 4 pounds per day.  Unbelievable benefits and a great way to get to know your body, what it craves, and how it responds. This is not a water fast, but a fruit juice and vegetable juice fast, taken with supplements live ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and brewers yeast.  Once your body begins raiding fat, which is about after the second day, your hunger pangs will go away and each morning that you wake up and look in the mirror, you will see a change in your appearance for the better.  Yes, I am serious.

Works for me and a serious way to combat the stress that is law school.

[LegalLatin78]

No offense landrover06, but this is some of the worst diet/health advice I have ever heard.  You are constantly shocking your system in and out of starvation mode.  3 square meals a day is what is healthy and appropriate for someone on an active schedule. Your body is a machine and needs fuel to operate.  This might work for you, partly because you are used to it, but this is not what is recommended for proper diet and nutrition.  Instead of skipping dinner or meals, you can just eat something sensible and with not too many calories.  I doubt anutritionist would agree with you.

[LegalLatin78]

Just read your second post on the fruit juice and vegetable juice fast, taken with supplements live ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and brewers yeast.  I have actually done this twice in my life.  You are right, your body feels awesome after you finish the fast.  You do learn to deal with the hunger after a few days.  However, I don't think this diet is a good way of losing weight once a month (we did it for a liver cleansing).