Slash / January 23, 2006 6:36 AM

To keep the pounds off, I look at heavy people, and say to myself "Do I want to look like that?"

Then I put my running shoes on and go for a run.

j / January 23, 2006 7:31 AM

I race bicycles. That in itself does not keep me fit- it's the many hours of training and coming ever so close to returning my gastric contents to the floor that helps burn off the pounds... err... grams...

slb / January 23, 2006 8:17 AM

i cut all of my portions in half. i stopped eating sweets almost entirely. i'm trying to only eat whole grains, nothing refined. i am working out 4x a week... and it's working! i don't own a scale but i have dropped from a size 14 pants to an 8 so far. yeah!

CVAL / January 23, 2006 8:32 AM

So far this year I have been keeping the total calories consumed per day to between 1500 and 2000 max. I don't eat any sweets, and I started eating very Japanese, sushi, miso soup, etc. So far I have dropped 8 pounds in 2 weeks. I also workout twice each week and run up and down stairs to the El on my way to DePaul night classes each week.

madachod / January 23, 2006 8:43 AM

I hangout in front of 7-11's and administer discipline to dissatisfied youth with a rusty bike chain.

Amy / January 23, 2006 9:10 AM

I do things like tell myself I will only eat Italian Beef once a month, or Chicken Tenders once a week. It makes me feel like I'm watching what I eat. Working out consists of bike riding in the summer like twice a week and some walking (and sex of course!). But I naturally don't drink pop or sweets, I like vegetables, and I have pretty good genes.

Leah / January 23, 2006 9:28 AM

I lost the weight doing Weight Watchers online--so portion control, personal accountability, exercise. I've kept it off because I'm cheap. When I went from a 22/24 to a 16/18, I gave away all of my "fat" clothes. A few thousand dollars worth of clothes. I'm to stingy to buy the clothes back, so my only option is to lose more or stay at my current weight.

paul / January 23, 2006 9:50 AM

I shop at Whole Foods. Not because everything in there is non-hydrogenated, non-processed and non-high-sucrose frosted. But because I'm poor and usually walk out with a mushroom, three shrimp and a cup of couscous, twenty bucks lighter.

Seriously, I've gained 20 lbs over the winter and lost it by June (nearly) every year for the past 10 years. I use a little thing called 'outside'. Now if I could only get my ass outside during winter...

slb / January 23, 2006 10:01 AM

leah - i'm with you that giving away all your old clothes is the best way to keep the weight off... nothing keeps up the motivation like not wanting to buy a whole new wardrobe again...

hench / January 23, 2006 10:01 AM

i switched from beer to jameson & soda. trying to work out more often. paying more attention to calories & portion sizes. and no cookies or ice cream in the house!

jen / January 23, 2006 10:08 AM

i'm not concerned about my weight per se, but having obesity and other various health issues run wild in my family, i monitor my overall health as best as i can.

two things i do: 1) i ride anywhere from 30-70 miles a week on my bike. the 70-mile scenario is more likely in the spring and summer. 2) i read labels on foods, not necessarily for fat and sugar content, but for processed ingredients. if there's stuff in it i can't pronounce, i don't buy it. and i've definitely upped the intake of veggies.

Anon / January 23, 2006 10:31 AM

I don't do anything. I'm not thin but I'm definitely not fat (8/10) and considering all the stuff I eat and little (none) exercise I do I should really be huge.

Baltimore / January 23, 2006 10:35 AM

Why should we do any thing about our Fatness, our Grande, our weightedness
?
Its the right and duty of every God fearing American to indulged off the spoils and bounty of the world. Our founding fathers thought and fought hard so we could watch alot of sports and reality t.v, not think about any thing of actual substance and get fat! it demonstrates to the world that God is on our side, which is why we got so much and they got so little. We are the best and the biggest, like Texas, so go head and supersize me right on up to heaven where every body is a big fat american!
You wanna be skinny go to Ethiopia

FlowFeel / January 23, 2006 10:58 AM

Coke, Meth, Speed, Cigs - trust me it works!

carrie / January 23, 2006 11:01 AM

a good "break up" timed about right now... works prefectly...cry yourself slim by springtime!

Lennie Briscoe / January 23, 2006 11:03 AM

Keeping the streets of New York free of crooks is enough work to keep the pounds off. If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably be as big as Anthony “Fat Tony” Francesca of the Botticelli family. It isn’t easy maintaining a healthy diet, what with all the late night stakeouts. Coffee and donuts can only go so far. Sometimes I’ll grab a slice over at Lombardi’s on 18th or a corned beef at Logan’s Pub on 65th but that’s about all I need. The hunger I feel can only be satisfied by throwing street-scum into the cooler for 5-10 (out in 4 for good behavior).

amy / January 23, 2006 11:19 AM

Go Carrie go!
Nothing like a divorce to keep you slim. It's the mother of all break-up diets.

Krissy / January 23, 2006 11:35 AM

The best thing about being 6 months pregnant is taking a vacation from worrying about such things. I'm going to really miss it!

jgs / January 23, 2006 11:46 AM

Winter: skating at the midway 3x/week
cross country skiing whenever possible... i.e. 1x/day that snow is adequate.
biking at least 3 miles each day otherwise.
summer: biking 60+ miles a week.
making constant fat jokes so that I burn the most self-rightous of calories.

i'm still a little chubby.

emily / January 23, 2006 11:57 AM

i've always struggled at maintaining my weight, always fluxuating back and forth 5 pounds or so (which is alot on a short person). i try to eat healthy for the most part, but i definitely don't keep myself from enjoying a splurge every once in a while.

i try to stay away from "empty" calories in sodas and other beverages, and i'm not very into desserts, which leaves room open for me to have eggs benedict or fried cheese every once in a while.

emily / January 23, 2006 11:58 AM

oh...and i tend to get food poisoning or the flu every once in a while, which will usually jump start a 10 pound loss.

Anon / January 23, 2006 12:42 PM

I use spray butter on veggies and other foods for flavor-- supposedly fat free and calorie free, and strangely addictive. Anybody else use this stuff?

Carrie, too / January 23, 2006 12:49 PM

I'm not really concerned with my weight anymore. Gaining weight used to terrify me and not that I enjoy gaining it now, but I've learned to accept the 5lb this way or that way thing my body likes to do to me. (the 5lb difference wasn't what scared me before, it was the 40lb gain that I didn't like so much)

I'm a pretty healthy eater, which I think helps to not gain. The other key is that I no longer eat or snack when I'm bored. I always used to sit at home with pretzels or crackers and just blindly eat a bunch. Breaking that habit was hard- I would actually have to ask myself if I was hungry or bored and 99% of the time I was bored.

Water is also my drink of choice at work and home. I drink at least 1 1/2 liters a day.

I think I gave away all my fat clothes. I might have a pair of jeans though just to try on for fun and remember how I used to be and remind me of why I don't want to go back to that.

Veronica / January 23, 2006 1:26 PM

Weight is something I really struggle with since moving to chicago a few years ago. When I first graduated from college and moved here I walked a ton and as a result got in really good shape and lost a lot of weight. I was a size 6 then and pretty much at what I considered ideal size for my height (im not short).

But I was really depressed and dealing with a lot of things like not knowing anyone in the city and my OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) that I had never really sought help for became out of control and I couldnt work or leave the house really. I finally went to a doctor who put me on a TON of meds, but I did start feeling better and making friends and such.

One of the meds he put me on made me gain weight very fast and i wasnt even eating anything different really. That medicine has since been recalled and is no longer prescribed as it causes weight gain in patients to the point that they get diabetes. I kinda feel being put on that ruined my self-esteem and life in a way because to this day I cannot lose the weight I gained even though I have been off that med for over a year now. I an now a size 10 while that isnt super-big or anything really, its just SO frustrating to not be able to lose the weight no matter how hard I try.

I want to start training to to do a century bike ride (100 miles) ...so hopefully working up to doing this will maybe help me finally lose the weight....

Eamon / January 23, 2006 1:48 PM

Meh. I'm going to start running on the treadmill again, but I wouldn't say I'm altogether concerned about my weight. I was 90 pounds soaking wet in high school, so I kinda like being big now.

Marc / January 23, 2006 1:51 PM

I just go to http://www.bigfatblog.com/ and read until either:
- I've stopped crying about being fat or
- I'm out of ice cream

Just kidding - I eat less and exercise more. Duh...

V - are you dragging Rob along on the century? Let me know which one you're doing, I have plans for one this year too.

steven / January 23, 2006 2:12 PM

I've been lucky so far (knock on wood) in that I haven't needed to lose any weight at all, excet for those pesky few pounds over the last few years. Exercising 2-3 times a week helps, as does watching what I eat. The way I see it, if I eat a crappy breakfast, I need to lighten up during lunch and dinner...and vice versa. This has worked so far, but I'm really trying to hit the gym and bike more often.

And everyone needs to be concerned about their health/weight...if not for you, then at least for your loved ones. And if not for your loved ones, then do it to avoid those nasty medical bills later in life.

steven / January 23, 2006 2:14 PM

Lennie! My wife and I love you. Keep up the good work, and lay off the donuts!

big fatty / January 23, 2006 3:32 PM

I had been merely nervous about my weight. I just got back from the doctor and I am now freaked out about my weight.

I am early 30s, male, large build (over six feet tall and broad-shouldered, so I can carry some extra pounds naturally and not look obese), blood pressure is okay . . . but I am probably 50-80 pounds overweight. A whole family history of heart disease on both sides makes me frightened.

Before, I was but was too nervous and embarassed by this problem to address it. Now, however, I am getting married -- I love my lady, and I want to be around for her and our future kids . . . I have got to rediscover my self-discipline, or I'll be dead of a heart attack before I turn 50.

Three goals:

1) Eat less
(smaller portions, do not snack)

2) Eat smarter
(no red meat and -- get behind me Satan! -- no more fried food goodness)

3) Get moving
(get out of bed in the morning and exercise, 30 minutes plus 4-6 days a week!)

At least I am not smoking.

Paul / January 23, 2006 4:15 PM

Marc: "I just go to http://www.bigfatblog.com/ and read until either: I've stopped crying about being fat or I'm out of ice cream."

Gee, thanks. I'm flattered.

bill / January 23, 2006 4:23 PM

cigarettes and ice water, kids, cigarettes and ice water

mike-ts / January 23, 2006 4:28 PM

Concerned? It varies. When I'm feeling like getting back into dating again, I'll go on a diet, then watch other people's relationships, remember how happy I've been since I got out of the dating rat race, and get off of it.

My body's wierd. All I have to do is give up meat products and alcohol, and the weight pours off. I got two cousins (male like me) who also can eat all the rice & beans in the world, and still went from being pot bellied butterballs to being lean once they went and stayed vegan. Dr. Atkin's disciples would call us liars and frauds, but what are we to do? It's how our systems work.

leelah / January 23, 2006 7:48 PM

So I just sat down with a few slices of frozen pizza (I added extra cheese and two kinds of olives) and logged onto this...

I exercise a lot in the summer, mostly running or an elliptical machine. This winter I'm not doing so well, but I did get to the gym twice last week. It's not great, but it's something.

I don't diet, but I'm a vegetarian who doesn't drink a lot of alcohol.

Mister C / January 23, 2006 9:01 PM

I put on a massive amount of weight about nine years ago when I went back to school, which I have been slowly chipping away at-- regular treadmill workouts, walking as much as possible, trying not to get totally decadent with the stuff I consume (meat seems to to be the worst thing for me too-carbs not as much) have been working pretty well. The pendulum swings back up occasionally, but it is inexorably heading down, and I do pretty well at not freaking out about the whole thing in general (which helps keep the process going). It took years of hard work (ha ha) to put the pounds on, so it'll take just as long to get rid of them.

Men's Health magazine has always seemed bent on getting men to be all freaky conscious about their bodies in order to suck them into the same crazy mental matrix that women have been contending with for so long. BTW- Have you seen the new Kirstie Alley Weight Watchers commercial? The basic premise is how thrilled she is that she's lost enough weight so that she looks good enough to be sexually harrassed on the street, to the point where she starts dancing to "It's Raining Men." Quite a piece of work.

Mac / January 23, 2006 9:27 PM

I've been the same skinny weight since 10th grade. I worry the opposite way.

Women hate me for my waist size. Yeah, that's the only reason, really!

ad man / January 23, 2006 9:44 PM

I drink Coke all day long, almost a case a day..keeps me from eating. (Use a straw for teeth's sake)

Bittersweet / January 24, 2006 8:59 AM

Yes, I'm body obsessed like most women I know. My goal is to get back to my weight at age 15. I've got about 15-20 to go. That or look good in a bikini, whichever comes first.

Things I'm doing:

No coffee
No soda
Less alcohol
More whole grains, fruits and vegetables
Brown rice instead of white
And just rejoined the YMCA last night

Best "cheats":

Egg whites
Diet hot chocolate
Whole wheat bread, bagels or English muffins
Organic granola bars
Skim milk

matty / January 24, 2006 9:55 AM

Diets are for idiots. Just eat well three times a day - keep calories and fat low, duh - and make sure you jog every day or every other day. That, combined with free weights is the only way to lose fat aside from meth addiction.

Steve / January 24, 2006 10:16 AM

I'm probably not as concerned as I should be. I think I may try that whole "expend more calories than you take in" thing. That seems to work for most people.

I'd try Atkins, but I hear it messes with your balance and makes you prone to falls.

Erica / January 24, 2006 11:08 AM

MEAL PLANNING/food journal works VERY WELL.
I'm currently Reading Compete Idiot's Guide to Nutrition, which is really awesome. I got through like half the book last night.
Going to the Y
Eating low-carb whole foods
Love natural peanut butter. Got the mixing the oil thing down well.
Avoiding cookies, crackers, chips, candy and all processed foods

THE WEEKENDS are my downfall, though, because it's somehow harder to stay on track. It's the one time during the week that I go out to eat, so that creates a whole new challenge. I"m working on it.

jaye / January 24, 2006 11:50 AM

Concerned does not quite describe it. i have reached this point where i have to address this or the shear volume of it will kill me (mentally, spiritually as well as physically).

I am on the med charts obese, most people would look at me and think she's "thick" because of my height and the places my weight has landed. but lately it just feels like such a huge burden, and it wasnt a new years thang for me to decide to try to take hold of this issue...it was a pair of jeans!!!!

so i walk everywhere now (just as i did when i lived in nyc) and yes even when its cold out (the booty doesn't care - no movement, no calories burned period). i have comcast and they have a variety of exercise programs on demand. i am a vegetarian who just happens to be a junk-a-holic, so i have had to exorcise the to's (cheetos, doritos, ho ho's) out of my life and i have to say. that alone is making a diference in the way i feel. more water. less soda. only a hit of chocolate (i.e, a kiss or minature) a few times a week as opposed to a whole bag of kisses. you get the point...

No Fat Chicks / January 24, 2006 12:11 PM

There should be scales to weigh in at the door of bars to keep any girl over 130 lbs out. This way, they would have incentive to lose weight. As an added bonus, only the most desirable healthy people would be out which would in turn lead to mating of only beautiful people and then eventually eliminate fat people by gene pool.

jaye / January 24, 2006 12:30 PM

Dear No Fat Chicks...

i don't think being barred from bars would be incentive for anyone to do much of anything other than celebrate...most bar scenes are lame!!

so i will assume you were trying (although you failed miserably) to be funny....

keep trying

Captain Ho Ho / January 24, 2006 12:42 PM

I'm not so sure Ho Ho's are vegetarian, what with the beef fat and all. But then, some "vegetarians" eat chicken, so what do I know?

Ho Ho's are a delicious part of a balance diet.

CocaCola / January 24, 2006 12:51 PM

Dear Ad-Man at 9:44pm yesterday.
Holy crap. Coke is not like beer, it is not a diuretic. You drink a case of it, you just drank 3600 calories. You should be very fat with dark teeth.
Eat a carrot for christsakes.

jaye / January 24, 2006 1:03 PM

Captain Ho Ho,

my thoughts exactly - what do you know?

skinny chick / January 24, 2006 1:05 PM

Dear No Fat Chicks,
You are an a** hole and I'm willing to bet you don't get laid too often.

Mister C / January 24, 2006 1:40 PM

Gotta correct myself, just noticed that the Kirstie Alley commercial is for Jenny Craig (not Weight Watchers, sorry). It's still pretty freaky though, watch CLTV for a minute during the day and you're sure to see it.

E / January 24, 2006 1:42 PM

I think the real question we should be asking ourselves is:

Are you concerned about your height? What do you do (if anything) to keep the inches off?

I sleep in a box to keep the inches off and keep myself on a steady diet of oxydizing soft drinks, I avoid sunlight, and I don't leave the house too often.

Garfield / January 24, 2006 1:51 PM

I'm not overweight -- I'm undertall!

Skinny Chick 2 / January 24, 2006 1:55 PM

Dear No Fat Chicks,
I agree with Skinny Chick - Something tells me that you're ghastly to look at - your post screams out 'I can't get laid' and I'm sure you've convinced your sorry little mind that it's because the bar scene these days don't have enough healthy people for you. Please don't ever reproduce.

Emerson Dameron / January 24, 2006 2:04 PM

Thanks to a metabolism that struggles to keep pace with my raging neuroses, I've been frightfully skinny most of my life. We'll see how long that lasts. Right now I'm mainly concerned about my heart, which hasn't broken lately but, if heredity is anything to go by, may well explode before its time. Last fall I moved in with a vegetarian, which means I eat a lot more healthy food without putting a point on it.

Mr Gurp / January 24, 2006 2:14 PM

i live in a dump and eat soil

of course this is a hole separate problem

mike-ts / January 24, 2006 2:29 PM

Soda pop = fill a glass 1/3 with white sugar, fill remainder with water or seltzer, add coloring. It's that bad. Sports drinks pack a lot of calories you wouldn't expect. Unless you're a bike racer like "j", you'll get your salts from your next meal. Veg for me = no milk, eggs, cheese, anything cooked in fat (there go all your cookies and cakes), butter. Dr. Ornish lays it out pretty well.

People just need a strong enough factor to quit smoking, lose weight, change jobs, whatever. Kirstie Alley when asked in an interview how she got so heavy, said she did the treadmill 2 hours a day, starved herself like mad, and her husband still left her, so she just focused on her kids instead of looking good for a man and quit punishing herself, hence the weight gain. Now she's making mad money thinning out. Pay me well and I'll look like Moby if you ask me to. Actually, I'll end up looking like Vic from The Shield.

Paula / January 24, 2006 2:59 PM

I keep a food intake journal, I resolved not to eat out for the month of January in order to focus on eating healthier (smaller portions, less processed foods, no deep fried foods), I go to the gym 5X/week for at least an hour. It's a bit early to tell since I just started most of this at the beginning of January, but it would seem that it's starting to work (I could/should lose 10-15 lbs).

Emerson Dameron / January 24, 2006 3:16 PM

Vic Mackey is pretty buff. That's about as well as I've seen a white man pull off the chrome-dome. Of course, it would be kind of silly if your personality were more like Dutch.

Matty / January 24, 2006 3:26 PM

Skiiny Chick 2 sounds like a bitter fatty girl who wishes she could be a trixie and get the hot boys

Andrew / January 24, 2006 3:41 PM

OK, kiddies. Let's quit the name-calling.

fluffy / January 24, 2006 4:44 PM

I'm a little bit chubby, but the guys don't notice cause they're too busy laughing at my jokes and admiring my beautiful personality. They all want to read me their poems, written specially for me and my voluptuous mind.
Yeah, right!

I am concerned about my weight; I could lose 10 pounds. I don't like how I look when I get thin, though, It's just not me.

I keep it simple. If I eat bread, it's just baguette-type with dinner, which usually consists of steamed vegetables with an orange and cheese on the side. Also, a glass of red wine.
Lunch is green salad with tofu or beans. Breakfast- good cereal and soy milk.
No snacks (fruit, maybe), I drink water throughout the day, I walk a lot, I don't drink soda and I don't eat meat.

But I will eat popcorn when I go to the movies (bad!) and love pastries on special occassions! And my #1 weakness: tater tots.

I hate to exercise in a gym. I feel like the hamster in the wheel.

w / January 24, 2006 5:18 PM

I just went to africa and got a virus. Sure-fire way to shed 15 pounds in 36 hours.

Skinny Guy / January 24, 2006 6:22 PM

What's up with the "skinny chicks" posting clearly fake email addresses? I want to make out with you, but I can't even contact you now. fu@aol.com? Funny, but unhelpful!

Moon / January 24, 2006 8:44 PM

Here's a couple of easy ways and everybody will love you for it.

1) Walk up escalators.
2) Walk DOWN escalators.
3) Pick up the pace when you are walking down the street.
4) Walk to the right (OK, so this one doesn't help you lose any weight, but it's a damn good idea)

Moon / January 24, 2006 8:47 PM

Oh, and,

5) Skip breakfast.

steven / January 25, 2006 7:44 AM

Moon...skip breakfast? I always heard that skipping breakfast gets you in the end...as in eating more food later in the day. Though I do know people who skip it and seem to handle it just fine. Me, if I skipped breakfast, you'd find me in the gutter somewhere, doubled over in pain and begging for handouts...

slb / January 25, 2006 8:54 AM

there's lots of evidence that eating a good breakfast helps you lose weight. getting enough sleep is a good idea too. there's a pretty strong correlation between sleep loss and weight gain. i know, correlation vs causation and whatever, but i'll take my chances and hit the hay...

Spence / January 25, 2006 9:57 AM

My weight is directly correlated to portion size and a high metabolism. I think I eat about half of what the average American eats. I can attribute this to a couple things. First, I eat very slowly. It takes about 10-15 minutes more time for me to eat than the average person. This is because I either read or talk during meals which slows my food intake dramatically. Also, I drink lots of water at meals, like 4-5 glasses, which naturally fills me up. Also, I'm convinced my stomach is smaller than normal. Lastly, I've pretty much cut soda out of my diet save the glass or two on special occasions. I don't really work out besides walking everywhere and riding my bike in the summer. That paired with a high metabolism keeps my weight in-check.

robin.. / January 25, 2006 10:47 AM

i do nothing special, and i look and feel effing fabulous at 5'3" and about 150. yeah, you heard me. i have big strong bones, big strong legs, and fabulous jumblies. i've never owned a scale. vegetarian, lots of water and nearly no soda, lots of walking and biking, yoga for joint strength and stability, almost no processed foods in the house, cook a lot with fresh produce, fast after a holiday. i don't skip meals and i don't deny myself things that i like; in this manner, nothing becomes forbidden and nothing has the allure of "bad." if i want a cookie, i eat one. if i want two, i eat two. my body matches my mental image of what i am, and, lacking dissonance between physical appearance and mental aspiration, i'm free to freak out about other things. like the current administration, am i right?

you know i had to go there.

matty / January 25, 2006 11:08 AM

If there were no fat girls allowed in bars, I would be laid about 50% than normal.