what a great idea!
i've been sitting at about 135 for 3 years. i hyperextended my right knee really badly at starfest in 2007 (remember that, greg?), and it really fubbared my ability to exercise that summer. i ballooned out to my present weight. i'd like to lose about 20-25 lbs, and be the weight i was when i moved out here many moons ago.
i used to be really fit when i was younger, but age and sports-related injuries/arthritis are setting in. so, working out can be difficult. so, a few weeks ago, i started working out again, doing more gymanstics/dance type warm up routines to try to strengthen/build muscle/get back flexibility, but without the impact. do you realise how difficult a gran plie is to do properly when you're incredibly out of shape? it's pretty pathetic.
i have a theory, however, that rapid weight loss is really bad. i know the experts say 1-2 pounds a week, but i think that's too much. i think it should be more like 1-2 pounds a month. the reason is is the fact that our bodies have evolved from a feast/famine model. humans, when the opportunity presents itself, gorges on food, storing as much fat as possible to weather the lean times. this is why we have cravings for sugar and fat - highest calories, easiest to transfer to fat. i think what happens with yo-yo dieting is that you lose weight too fast, and your body reacts and goes into famine mode, reducing your metabolism even further, and accelerating the transition of sugars to fat much faster. so, you plateau out at about 3 months, then start gaining weight back, regardless of what you do.
so, i think weight loss should be slow and gradual. work on building muscle and respiratory health first. slowly change your diet to eat healthier foods. simple stuff like less red meat, more lean chicken and fish. choose grilling or broiling/baking instead of frying. sweet potato instead of baked potato. skim milk instead of fatted milk. and, a big one: HERBAL TEA instead of coffee, especially if you put lots of sugar/cream in it. i suggest mint tea, cos it wakes you up, has no calories, soothes the tummy, and tastes great =)
btw, BMI is total BS. you'd have to be a stick figure to be fit with BMI. roger's BMI says he's moderately obese. anyone that's seen roger knows he's on the skinny side. it doesn't take into account the fat/muscle ratio, your body build, density of bones, etc. the best measure of your body is a fat index.
