I actually bought her videos and they are somewhat old, but quite good. She seems to be adhering to some of the same principles and exercises as my go-to therapist.

My exercise isn't nearly as disciplined as you folks but I can report another five pounds lost.

My mission now is to get through the party season without finding them again!

Good for you Buckworks!  You should be very proud.  I still would love to see a recent picture. 

One thing that a lot of people don't get is that weight loss is really 85% diet.
Not knowing this causes a lot of people pain:
1) a bad diet could not be put in check by exercise
2) cardio is good for you, but not an effective tool for weight loss alone
3) being lazy does not cause obesity (but obesity may cause inactivity)

I see a lot of people waste a lot of effort on treadmills to just go and undo their hour of sweating with a single sugary beverage. 

Walking burns about 70 net calories per mile. Which means it's about 50 miles to the pound of fat.

Exercise has many, many benefits. Recent research has shown great cognitive benefit in older people and oxygenation of the brain staves off age-related memory loss (correlational, not proven, but better research came out last month and it's likely cause and effect).

So keep up. It will improve your life. If it doesn't lead to weight loss, don't give up. There are *many* other benefits.

If you do lose weight, so much the better!

I wasn't trying to imply that exercise isn't very good for you.  Yet, most people don't understand that you are not going to be able to out-exercise a poor diet.  I see people exercising their asses off trying to get into shape, not losing weight, then eventually giving up.  These folks are largely trying to burn off their bad diets, when they could eliminate their one can of soda and save nearly two hours walking on a treadmill.  People should definitely move their bodies for mental and physical health.

Totally understood and I was just trying to say "That's exactly right."

Because you are exactly right - exercise is great and has so many benefits, but it's damn hard to walk (or run or swim or bike) off an ice cream sundae.

I've known a handful of pro athletes who burn more calories than most of us can imagine, but they watch what they eat like few people. I remember one marathoner saying that after an event she drinks a celebratory beer... but other than that she never does. She needs her calories to all be high quality. I could never do it. I once told my wife: "If I woke up tomorrow with Tommy's body and skill, within two years I'd be mediocre, because I just can't do what he does day in and day out."

Right, consistency is key.. and damn hard work.

@ergophobe

Right.  Writing the above I kept thinking of Michael Phelps who has  12,000 calorie a day diet while in training, but no doubt it is optimal for his needs.  I am sure I'd be 300lbs in yeah on half that amount.

@Rumbas
I think consistency is necessary but I am not completely convinced about the "damn hard work" part.  I guess that that's the point I was trying to make above.  If your diet is in check you need to do some exercise, but you do not need to bust you ass hours a day for results -- you just need to do some moderately hard work.

Totally agree LM.

If I eat too much (too many calories) I can train my @ss off and still don't see much difference in fat %. However just making a few small adjustments, keeping an eye on carbs and 2nd portions, I see a much faster effect on lean mass. It's the food choices and amount that's the hard work part. Getting to the gym and lifting is not the problem for me.

>> keeping an eye on carbs and 2nd portions

For me, the biggest kind of carb to watch is products that contain wheat. My weight started coming off after I started following the precepts of the book "Wheat Belly".

The author's theory is that some of the proteins (gliadins) in modern high-yielding wheat varieties tend to overstimulate the appetite. The flip side of that is that avoiding wheat products brings the appetite into better alignment with what the body actually needs.

For me, the theory has proved true. Cutting way back on wheat is finally an approach that works for me. I can't say I've cut back 100%, social life gets in the way, but I've probably cut back 90-95%.

>> the food choices and amount that's the hard work part

I wouldn't call my experience hard work but food choices are definitely the core of it.

I'm curious Bucky, do you restrict sugar as well?  Do you still eat other high carb snack foods, like say corn chips?

>> restrict sugar as well

I worry less about sugar than I did back in the days of calorie counting and self-deprived portion control. I do choose diet soda vs regular; I've never used sugar in tea or coffee.

>> like say corn chips

Yes, on occasion. Ditto for other snacks, and carbs such as potatoes, rice, corn, barley, oatmeal, etc.

If I want something, I have it. I don't actively restrict anything other than trying to avoid wheat.

The only thing I try to restrict is sugar... I would be reasonably successful if ice cream did not exist.

Ah HA! I've found the Core Commit thread that I've heard so much about. Unfortunately, there is no current round. Will there be another one after the holidays?

Oh, for sure. This time of year seems to be busy for a lot of us, so I figure I'd start it up again when people tend renew their efforts of improving their health at the turn of the year.  It would be great to have you in the next round.  Meanwhile, if you care to share any details of your own background I'm sure many here would love it read it.