The Weight Loss Challenge Revisted

[dhobeika]

Use this forum to discuss the new weight loss challenge.

[joemcfarland]

The Weight Loss Challenge Revisited

Goals: Lose some ugly fat.
Bring in some money for the wrestling effort
Live longer and bankrupt the social security system

Obesity is an epidemic in this country. It has been caused by our inert lifestyle coupled with a change in dietary habits. It affects wrestlers when they stop competing as their muscle fibers are no longer needed and are partially converted to fat. The changes are slow, maybe 5 pounds per year, but eventually it happens.

Fat concentrated in the abdomen, i.e. a “beer gut”, becomes like a large gland and secretes its own hormones. It acts like a non-malignant tumor, causing all sorts of medical problems beginning with insulin intolerance and then diabetes, hypertension and vascular disease. It is called syndrome x. You don’t want to move in this direction.

How you fight back.
You join the weight loss challenge. Sign up at the website saveoregonwrestling.com. Get on the bus. Put down a goal you can live with like 10 pounds per month. Check with your doctor if you have health issues. See where you fit on the BMI chart below and figure out how much you need to lose to be around a BMI of 23. No worries if it is a lot of weight, it just takes longer. Dedicate yourself to get there and stay there. This is not a weigh-in followed by diving into a tub of ice cream. You lose it forever.


Line up some sponsors to put up 5 dollars a pound up to a million dollars a pound. If you know of someone dear to you that needs to lose weight themselves, then have them sign up on the website and get their own sponsors. Their money counts towards what you bring in to the Pac 10 championships in Eugene. The person who brings in the most money gets 1000 dollars. Second place is 500 dollars.

How you start? Here are some suggestions. I wrote a book about this if you are interested.
Begin by eliminating what you eat that is not good for you. That includes: chips, dip, all sodas – diet or regular, alcohol, processed foods – foods that have been to a factory and come out differently. Yes, that includes bread and all fried foods. Cut back on meat from all animals that walk on hooves except buffalo. Leave them alone. What did they ever do to you? Eggs? Good protein but bad cholesterol. Two a week if you must.

What’s left: Oatmeal, brown rice, fish, birds, olives, beans, berries, fruit, nuts, coconut, potatoes, all vegetables.

Beverages: Water from the tap or placed in your own reusable container. Orange, grape, cranberry or other pure juices are ok but not as good as the fruit itself.

A word about wine: Red wine has some health benefits but is an appetite stimulant, which has no place on a diet. You can add it when you reach you goal. It’s 200 calories, which is one pound every 15 days.

Why these suggestions? The food giants that decide what to feed us have altered our foods such that they can no longer be trusted. They added trans fats in the 70’s without testing them. They added aspartamine in the 80’s in spite of FDA resistance. Aspartamine now gets more complaints from consumers to the FDA than any other chemical. They have supported a closet industry in New Jersey that can make any food taste like anything they want. McDonald’s French fries have a patented flavor that they add to make you want more of them – and another large coke. The point is they want our money and do not care about our health. Do your food shopping in the fresh food section and in the frozen vegetable section. Brown rice and potatoes are good starches.

When our health deteriorates as a society that is not bad news to corporate America as it is an opportunity to treat our diabetes, heart disease, bad joints, gastric reflux, and sleep apnea just to name just a few conditions that are directly related to excessive weight gain.

It is no accident that at the all star matches, November 19th, at Eugene, the three skinniest former wrestlers were Glenn Jerett, George Johnson and Joe McFarland (me) – all physicians. We know the health benefits of wt loss, and eating properly.
Get on the bus. Join the challenge. Get healthier in the process and maybe win a thousand dollars if you bring in the most money to Ron Finley at the Pac 10 championships. Challenge some Beaver believers or some ex Vikings to get in this fight. We need to get this done and then move on to strengthen the existing programs in the state. Get with former opponents and teammates and talk it up. We are weak alone but we are strong together; besides, it’s easier to suffer when you have company.

What about exercise? Diet is half the battle. The rest is more exercise. Try to walk one hour for every 3 hours you sit. The time exercising is the key point and the level of exertion isn’t as important as the time. One mile walked is 100 calories. You can win this fight by just converting TV time to walking time and doing the diet.

I’ll monitor this site and add some diet tips now and then. Hop on the bus and get your health back and help Ron save the wrestling program at Oregon. Joe McFarland M.D. [e-mail].

BMI 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Height Weight (in pounds)
4'10" (58") 91 96 100 105 110 115 119 124 129 134 138 143 148 153 158 162 167
4'11" (59") 94 99 104 109 114 119 124 128 133 138 143 148 153 158 163 168 173
5' (60") 97 102 107 112 118 123 128 133 138 143 148 153 158 163 168 174 179
5'1" (61") 100 106 111 116 122 127 132 137 143 148 153 158 164 169 174 180 185
5'2" (62") 104 109 115 120 126 131 136 142 147 153 158 164 169 175 180 186 191
5'3" (63") 107 113 118 124 130 135 141 146 152 158 163 169 175 180 186 191 197
5'4" (64") 110 116 122 128 134 140 145 151 157 163 169 174 180 186 192 197 204
5'5" (65") 114 120 126 132 138 144 150 156 162 168 174 180 186 192 198 204 210
5'6" (66") 118 124 130 136 142 148 155 161 167 173 179 186 192 198 204 210 216
5'7" (67") 121 127 134 140 146 153 159 166 172 178 185 191 198 204 211 217 223
5'8" (68") 125 131 138 144 151 158 164 171 177 184 190 197 203 210 216 223 230
5'9" (69") 128 135 142 149 155 162 169 176 182 189 196 203 209 216 223 230 236
5'10" (70") 132 139 146 153 160 167 174 181 188 195 202 209 216 222 229 236 243
5'11" (71") 136 143 150 157 165 172 179 186 193 200 208 215 222 229 236 243 250
6' (72") 140 147 154 162 169 177 184 191 199 206 213 221 228 235 242 250 258
6'1" (73") 144 151 159 166 174 182 189 197 204 212 219 227 235 242 250 257 265
6'2' (74") 148 155 163 171 179 186 194 202 210 218 225 233 241 249 256 264 272
6'3' (75") 152 160 168 176 184 192 200 208 216 224 232 240 248 256 264 272 279

[wrestlingpublicist]

Okay, Joe, I'm in. The last soda can went in the trash can a few minutes ago. If you think wrestlers let their bodies go to the dogs, we ex-SIDs never had a baseline to go by.

Just stepped off the scale. 255 pounds for a 5-10 guy is an abomination. The immediate goal is to be in the 230s by the time of my flight physical at the end of February. From there, we'll set a realistic, maintainable, target for the future.

If I come up for the Pac-10s, you'll see a thinner wrestling propagandist. I'll get around to the pledge part this coming week.

[gstensland]

Joe I finnally got in I'll give it a go and see if I have enough Fortitude to peel of a few pounds.

[joemcfarland]

Garry: Thanks for registering. I'm not competing on this one so it should be legal for me to put up 10 dollars for every pound you lose. Any body else? What about you....Dennis Radford, Gary Wilson, Bob Storlie, ..........can the studs from the 60's beat the wimps from the 70's? Anyone can sign up. The only criteria is that you want to save Oregon wrestling and lose some weight. Talk it up and take it off. Joe

[12carolyn]

Carolyn here. I'm obviously not a wrestler but have heard that I can enter and lose weight and turn whatever money I earn over to Ron Finley. I am trying for sponsors. I live with a very large man who might just be a weigh loser on his own, get his own sponsors and turn the money over to me. I think I have the hutzpah to kick a little ass in this fight. Speaking of asses, mine is so big I have to put flashing yellow lights on it when I line up at KFC for food. No more of that. And no more wine, bread, soda, chips and processed food. I support you guys saving your program but all I care about is grabbing your money.

I can smell the 1000 dollar prize money in my pudgy little hands now.

[johnm]

I got here via the New York Times which had an article about Ken Kesey. That led me to SOW. I workout in Thai Boxing and Kettlebells but tried BJJ once and watch UFC as much as possible. I need to lose at least 50 pounds. I am 5'10" , age 44 male weighing 270. I live in New York but have visited family in OR often

[yendis]

Weight Loss Challenge is just about losing not wanted or required fat in our body! Do you imagine how much fat we accumulate every single day? Anything make us feel fatter, and it is not healthy for our body.

Yendis

Oregon Drug Treatment