The Intamin Diet

^ Better known as "burpees" - Yes, they are effective and pretty awesome, but they are HELL on your joints, especially if you're new at this stuff.

For right now, I'm sure there are plenty of other exercises that might be a little easier to swallow, but I love doing burpees. You feel like crap after a long set of them (in fact just last week I did a bunch of them back to back with running, tricep dips and preacher curls with a very unwanted result :( ).

-Josh

That would actually be called a super burpee, its fun to throw some mountain climbers in with it and mix it up. They can be really hard on you, that why I stressed the point of only being done by some one who is already in moderate shape, but its a great exercise to throw in if you are starting to plateau. I think most people would be amazed at what would happed if they really did a good 30 minute cardio workout 4-5 times a week, but its really hard to stay motivated.
Also having a big protein shake for breakfast everyday and a banana or some type of fruit, really helps me from over eating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN3km210chs This amazed me.

^Thats what I call some core strength!
If you watch some of that guys other videos you will see he is a bmx racer. Which is going to be a new Olympic sport this year, most people don't realize what kind of shape you really have to be in to do well, and its not just about having strong legs either, here two little video's I watch for motivation sometimes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGnYFDVom_4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdJ_YupoXBU

I'm kind of surprised to see the weights of some people who worry about fitting on MF. I weigh 260 and haven't had a problem in the dozens of times I've ridden it. I don't know if it's my relative height (6') or if I have more muscle than I give myself credit for.

A few years ago I took a number of steps that proved very beneficial. At the time I was about 240 lbs and relatively sedentary.

First, I switched to diet pop. I realized a can of soda was about 170 calories of nothing, and I was drinking a lot. The taste of diet pop was kind of nasty at first, but I got used to it and now I can't even drink regular soda. In the last few months I've been drinking more tea and water because of the potential neurological problems associated with the phenylalanine in diet soda. I also went from 1% milk to skim, which wasn't hard. Now 1% and especially 2% taste sickeningly thick to me.

Second, I tried out some low-fat alternatives to the foods I ate. I discovered low-fat ranch dressing, sour cream, peanut butter, etc. tasted about the same to me, so I started eating them instead.

Third, I started snacking more on apples, baby carrots, and broccoli (with the aforementioned low-fat ranch dressing in moderation) and quit buying high-fat snacks like cookies and snack cakes.

Fourth, I quit eating chips. I used to eat a lot of Doritos and potato chips, but I found that carrots were a reasonable alternative to provide some crispy contrast to a sandwich. Low-fat crackers are also better than chips (for a while I was hooked on reduced-fat Ritz) but still not as good as vegetables.

Fifth, I cut down eating fast food quite a bit (but not entirely). I went from 4+ times a week to maybe once.

With the above changes, I went from 240 to 210 in about two months. The beauty of it was that, at least to me, the changes were relatively modest and easy to maintain. I still do most of the above most of the time, and it's not very difficult. If you want to burn off some weight relatively quickly, I'd recommend those steps.

After that I started working out, running for at least a mile, and lifting 2-3 sets of free weights 3-4 times a week. I actually gained about ten pounds at that time. Muscle is more dense than fat.

All was peachy until last spring when I quit smoking, and I put on about 40 pounds from compensatory eating. Since then I've been in a chaotic battle with smoking, exercising, and diet, on-again-off-again, but I still feel pretty good overall. And I can still ride MF.

i decided i need to lose about 30 pounds. i want to be 126 again. this 165 isnt working for me and when i went UP a size in pants that was the last straw.

so i joined Wieght Watchgers online and i follow the Points program. it really has worked so far!! i have lost 10 pounds in four weeks!!

easy to do and you get "bonus" points for special occasions or just for a daily/weekly splurge. at first i didnt even TOUCH those points and lately i have been using about 10 a week. using them seems to have stopped the weight loss and i plateaued really fast. so now this week i have vowed to stop using the bonus points.

im sure i would still fit on MF, TTD and Maverick but i dont want to take any chances. plus, with a U2 tour around the corner in 2009 i want to look HOT so i can get those appreciative looks i always get from Adam Clayton!!

its nice to see everyone elses' suggestions and success stories! keeps me motivated!

I recently lost 11 pounds in 1 1/2 months, I stopped drinking any caffiene, I still drink Sprite on occassion, maybe 3 cans a week if that. My diet mainly consists of Healthy Choice soup for lunch, veggies, fruits and for dinner a Healthy Choice frozen dinner.

I also watch for carbs, fat, and calories. I can't afford to go to a gym, buy DVD's or any of that stuff, also being the dead of winter in Michigan it's hard to take walks outside, and I don't have room for a treadmill in my small one bedroom apartment.

I do about 5 minutes of excersize each day, I know that isn't enough, but by the spring time when everything thaws out and stops being in the subzero weather out here, I plan on walking 1/4 a mile each day.

I don't eat any junk food, I might have chocolate every once in a while, I am on medication for panic attacks though, so I'm not sure if that causes weight gain or not. Last winter I stopped taking Paxil because it was causing weight gain.

I'm sure there are other programs out there that I could probably do at home, any suggestions would be appreciated. I went from 266 to 255 in 1 1/2 months. My goal is to reach 200.

I cannot believe we're having this discussion.
To think Disneyland is currently redoing the entire "Small World" ride due to the fact that people have gotten larger and the boats got stuck in the flume....
Cedar Fair really needs to change with the times. When your customers are dieting, and discussing weight-loss plans in internet forums months in advance because of your ridiculous policies, the problem isn't the customers. And they wonder why attendance is down. No, it's not the economy, gas prices or the weather. It's your inane rules that make your parks unattractive to many potential paying customers.
Save us, Mr. Lassiter...Please?

^ it is not Cedar Point's policy. It is Intamin's policy based on an incident that happened on a similar ride. Ohio law requires Cedar Point to follow the manufacturer's guidelines to the letter. Cedar Point has no choice in the matter.

Along with that, what is the difference if people are making more healthy decisions for the sake of being healthy or to fit on a roller coaster. Some people need carrots to dangle in front of themselves for motivation. For me it was to fit into my wedding dress w/o needing alterations. For someone else it could be to fit on a rollercoaster. One thing is for sure - it is a lot easier to make it when you have support from others that are in the same boat. That is what this thread is about.

Well said.

Agreed Krafty, it's one's own choice wheather or not to lose wieght, and for myself, yes, it's the rollercoasters, but also for my health, so I'm doing it for both reasons.

It also helps for support to post on this thread. I'm finding a lot of people who are supportive and it helps greatly, so thank you :)

Weight Watchers is the way to go. If you're serious about losing weight it will work. I went from 196 lbs to 168 in about 6 months. Granted this did include working out (mainly cardio) but it does work and I've kept most of it off.

You can do it and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Well, I lost 4 lbs since I made my initial post. I feel healthier all ready.

Thanks for all the tips. And it is not just a Millie diet, I have to fit on "Ride of Steel" this summer also.

Good for you Phantom, I'm on the same road myself. Watching everything I eat and I haven't ate at fast food in 3 months. I've lost 11 1/2 pounds since the beginning of January.

I started at 266, and now I'm at 254.5.

I just wish the weather would break so I can start walking outside (in Michigan), I'm definatly going to do that when it gets warmer (Lord knows we all need to walk at Cedar Point).

Hey keep up the hard work, its great to hear people making progress. Also dont worry if your weight loss levels off here in the next week or so, just keep at it, and really try to change up your workout and keep your body guessing, and keeps that plateu from happing, its when a lot of people give up too!

Thanks KYJoe. I did reach a plateau right now, but I think I will take your advice and change up my workout a bit. I'm not giving up though :)

I should add that I lost 3 inches to my waist since January 1st. My weight also was at 266, I'm now down to 254.5.

I thought I noticed that my clothes were looser :)

Congrats man. One I haven't seen anyone mention yet is the South Beach diet. The first 2 weeks arean't too healthy for you, it's basically Atkins, but in phases 2 and 3 they start to introduce more carbs, and it basically evolves into a healthy lifestyle without really having to think about it or consult the book. They sell cookbooks, and you can find pages of recipes broken down by phase online for free if you know how to google. The first time I did it, I lost about 15 pounds in the first 2 weeks and it stayed off for a few months. I'm doing it again now because I just got back from a few years in Germany and I went a little nuts on all the foods I missed.

I looked at some stuff with the South Beach diet and it's just too regimented for me, so I'm just doing it with counting calories, fat intake and reading labels on everything I eat.

I'm basically just eating soup (Healthy Choice) and rabbit food, and it seems to be working.

Now if only the tempurature in Michigan can stay stable outside I can go walking more and lose more weight.. ugh :(

Eating healthy is the way to go, one thing to look for is high fructose corn syrup, its in almost everything. Bread is a big one, if you get natural, or organic bread, its doesn't have the the high fructose in it, palm kernal is another one that is just as bad. One thing that helped me a lot, and helps keep you from getting as hungry during the day, is to have a big protien shake with breakfast. You can find some good tasting ones that are low calorie too, but with breakfast you dont have to worry about it as much.

Watch your portion size and try to eat a high protien, good carb diet, and, have one day every week or too, where you have a meal where you pig out a bit, and eat some junk, it helps keep the cravings down too. Its tuff, but it feels so good when you get healthy, every aspect of your life is better.