Hi all,

I must admit that I find this difficult - perhaps it's a midlife crisis!

I hit 48 yesterday, and am a hardworking guy spending around 10 hours a day either at my desk in the office or working on the laptop at home. I'm 210 pounds and 5 foot 10. Even when I was playing regional representative field hockey I was always around 145 pounds.

I'm a frustrated windsurfer, knowing my improvement is hampered by my body size, and increasing lack of flexibility. I have a family history of type 2 diabetes (mother) and heart problems stroke / cancer (father). Suddenly it seems like everything is telling me to get fit / slim (normal / acceptable weight) in order to give myself a fighting chance.

But my highest recommended BMI gives a weight of 135 pounds - I can't ever remember being that light!

I've tried dozens of diets including weightwatchers and Atkins - even hypnotherapy. It always ends the same way - some loss (biggest was 20 pounds) and then it all creeps back again. I've been tested for diabetes and thyroid abnormalities - but all is ok. My cholesterol level is marginally above acceptable.

I suspect I may have an intolerance to dairy products - but haven't drunk milk for over 30 years. Howver, I have an addiction to cheese, and even a small amount a week (4ozs) seems to promote weight gain of a pound or more. I have noticed that eating cereal and fat free yogurt causes my lips to chap like I've been in the Arctic!

Am I going nuts? Anyone else with similar experiences / symptoms? Better still, any long term solutions without surgery, medication?

Hi there....
I woud like comfirm from the info in your thread that you are a male, standing five foot ten inches. Correct?

Your highest weight on the BMI is about 174 in order to be in the normal range. 134 IMO is too light for a man of your height, it actaully but you below the recommended BMI. That may be some good news for you.

Perhaps seeing a doctor about allergy testing will answer some questions about the reactions to some foods.

Are you drinking enough water...could be a good reason why you are chapping up!

Start up a diary and list the foods you are aeting and when you are eating them, and what type of excersize you are getting, that is the best way to make helpful suggestions to reach your weight goal.

Hello! Welcome to our forum! I haven't had much experience before with dieting, but i know that I knew i needed to lose some weight and keeping a food/exercise diary here has helped me to lose 15 pounds already!

I think that going on a diet may not be the best thing... b/c once you go back off, you are stuck putting the weight back on... especially with the health risks in your family, a diet change would be a better way to look at it. You want to eat healthier, which in the short run will help you lose weight, and in the long run will be good for you! If you have a doctor you visit, ask about some foods to stay away from. Perhaps keeping a diary yourself will enable you to look back and see what you are eating and you can better moniter it.

Good Luck!

Well if you wanna get healthy get a good excercise plan down, something like 2-3 days of cardio, 2-3 days of weight lifting/resistance training. I have the same thing with yogurt, I just drink a bunch of water and it goes away in less than an hour for me at least. And of course the dreaded diet, you dont have to eat salads and yogurt for every meal, theres cottage cheese, protein shakes, tuna fish, its all about the healthy calories, chicken, ya want unprocessed foods, so instead of white bread use whole grain wheat, skip out on the fast food, and dont drink pop, its horrible for you. Just write down what you eat for a few days and figure out the calories and tell us, or just write the foods down on here in a list, well pick it apart and see whats helping you and whats hurting. Make sure your taking a daily vitamin, and drinking lots of water. I dont know about you but I really do not want to be in a wheelchair for the last 10 years of my life, I have seen lots of people living miserable because they chose a life that didnt involve them being healthy. When I die I want to be climbing a mountain and have a heart attack, not writhing in bed because I chose to not excercise and eat healthy.

Oh and for the flexibility thing, if you weight lift and do it right it really increases flexibility. Im 19 and I had no flexibillity until I weight lifted. And if you cant find time for this stuff then make time, its one of the most used excuses for not excercising.

Oops - I guess my maths braincell should have been engaged in the first post!

Jennifer, yes you are correct, 5 foot 10 tall - your calculations are obviously correct, my doctor has indicated 175 pounds as my maximum target - my playing weight was 185 pounds (I never could do the 14 times table!) - but my current weight is still 210 pounds.

Since breaking my achilles tendon, and tearing my calf muscle, in the same running accident at the start of June 2003 I have struggled to get my head round running - but have been cycling at weekends when the weather is suitable, doing between 12 and 20 miles each time out. Prior to that I was in the gym at least 3 times per week doing an hour a day split between the cross trainer, bike, rower, and a few weights. Unfortunately I can no longer afford the membership fees, nor can I find the time due to work commitments.

As for food, this is an example of a normal week:

Breakfast: slice of toast and low sugar conserve or marmite (no butter / margarine) or a cereal bar each day except Sunday. Sunday it's a grilled sausage, grilled bacon, dry fried egg, mushrooms and grilled tomato.

Lunch: Mon - Fri it's a 250ml serving of homemade soup with a 3 inch length of french bread, Saturday a filled roll of some description, Sunday is nothing (see breakfast!)

Evening: Something home cooked, fresh fish at least twice a week, chicken usually 3 nights, red meat maybe once. Mainly grilled, loads of fresh vegetables, nothing fried, and only a roast on Sunday

Snacks: very few indeed. Chocolate, maybe 1 bar a week if not less. Bread / butter / margarine very rarely other than where shown above. No milk, cream, ice cream, sugar.

Drinks: 2 mugs of coffee a day, maybe 1 of tea, and most days around 2 litres of chilled water during the working day. During the evenings flavoured mineral water

Alcohol: beer - maybe 330ml per week, wine 2 glasses Friday, Saturday & Sunday, spirits very rarely.

Other: maybe 1 28g bag of crisps a week, and 4-6 ounces of cheese. (I was eating cereal and yogurt for 2 meals a day, but suffered with horrendous chapped lips - so have stopped!)

That's about it!

Glad to hear you're not going for 135 pounds..I'm 5'4" and female and that's my goal weight!

Good luck to you with your weight loss!