Disc. Channel: Want to lose weight before riding Voyage?

If you're seriously trying to lose weight before riding The Voyage this season, please take a look at today's HoliBlog post.

Hope we get some sincere candidates ... and that any unkind (albeit funny-to-some) comments are left unsaid.

Thanks, Paula

Fortunately I'll fit just fine into the new Voyage seat, but I think its really awesome what you guys are doing.

I'm in. I've got 70 pounds to lose. Hope Liz likes my sob story!!

I would LOVE to do it but I am already skinny. ;-)

Does this mean enthusiasts will have to give up gravy and buffets for four months? :-P :-)Sorry, I have been in a very sarcastic mood lately. It's all good.

Seriously though, that is a VERY good incentive to lose weight and get into shape and I wish the winner the best of luck. That's awesome!

-Tina

*** Edited 1/24/2006 7:46:07 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I'm currently trying to lose weight, but I don't really have any particular goal in mind -- but this actually seems like a great way to give myself some added incentive.

Paula, is it cool to PM you with the relevant information, or would you prefer an e-mail?

Email, please.

And Tina -- behave!

Paula

That sounds pretty cool. I know my friend might be interested in something like this. We had the unfortunate problems with that last year at a certain park where she and her boyfriend missed out on a few. She is trying hard to lose weight as it is well documented by her.

It would also be a plus because we are planning to attend holiday world sometime in june. Which i look forward to immensely. You may have the best publicised coaster of the year on your hands this year paula. Just another way for some of us to get excited.

By the way i may have missed it but most wooden coasters are pretty roomy, but is there a different seating arrangement or restraint system on it. *** Edited 1/24/2006 9:06:52 PM UTC by MagnunBarrel***

Very cool incentive to lose weight.

One of the ladies in my old Weight Watchers group's goal is to be able to visit an amusement park by next summer (she has been unable to due to stamina issues), so I guess it's not that uncommon of a goal.

And of course, kudo's to Holiday World for participating. As always, the coolest place EVAR!

-Nicole (loser of 60+)

Sounds like something I would like to try. I suck at the whole will power thing. I sent my e-mail off.

One of my goals for losing weight last winter was to be able to ride MF and various B&M Coasters. Does Voyage have significantly smaller seats and any other coaster? I would like to make a trip down to HW this summer. I am pretty sure I won't have any trouble. At this point, I can ride all the coaster at Cedar Point, Kings Island, Disney, and Universal. I just think it's strange to have this show unless people think this ride is going to have smaller seats than most.

It sounds like a great idea. I remember when the guy from "The Biggest Loser" 1 was shown being able to fit on The Mummy at Universal and you could see how happy he was. He talked about how he previously couldn't fit on any roller coasters. If the new PTC trains come with the new dividers, it would actually be easier for an overweight person to fit since the divider sits higher and is hollow in in the middle.

Intamin fan, That extra thick divider causes problems. Big problems. Not knowing if thats the standard two inch divider, shortened or the thicker one just shorter and hollow has got me a bit worried.

Chuck, who had not one bit of problem with Hades, Raven, Legend or Avalanche but was very tight in the retrofitted Zues and Strickers Tornado.

P.S.
Even without being overweight, Those retrofit seats and dividers suck.

And yeah, Im in the lose weight for Voyage catagory but Discovery Channel is a bit to exploitive for me.

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Intamin Fan said: If the new PTC trains come with the new dividers, it would actually be easier for an overweight person to fit since the divider sits higher and is hollow in in the middle.

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There's a photo of the new train (including the seat divider) here on the HoliBlog.

Thanks, Paula

Thanks Paula, That looks just like a hollow version of what was on Avalanche (Dells)

Should be cool with it and if I lose some beforehand, Its all good.

Thanks again.

Chuck

I signed up. I am an extremely large woman. I need all the help I can get. After CoasterBuzz's event at Holiday World where I noticed the really tight fit on Raven and Legend I knew I had to do something about it.

I had lost 30 pounds from that time, but when I weighed myself this morning I had gained 5 pounds back. I just can't seem to lose anymore. I need all the help I can get. If I won this contest I would be getting the help that I need desperately, but can't afford. It is the nutrition information that I need the most. I eat a lot of frozen meals right now and that is just NOT healthy at all.

If I won, I would work my butt off, literally and figuratively. I want to ride Legend and Raven comfortable, which I wasn’t able to do this past fall. The Legend is my favorite coaster in the world (not that I’ve rode all of them) and it hurt so much that I almost didn’t fit.

^Good luck, Sarah.
My girlfriend hit that plateau after losing like 40 lbs. It was all dietary changes from then on. It takes time.

Yes, that is the divider I saw on Wildcat at Hersheypark. I read an interesting article on Washingtonpost.com over the weekend about the obesity crisis, and how there's actually a lot of incentive in keeping people overweight or obese. They even had a link to company who makes caskets for the obese up to 52" wide. My jaw dropped when I saw a picture of it. Ironically, the couple who owns the company look like they are at "normal" weight.

The main gist of the article was that technology has been great in some aspects (microwaves, high speed elevators, fast food restaurants etc.), but as a result we're losing many of the ways that allowed people to naturally control their weight. A woman, for example, no longer has to spend two hours trying to prepare a meal. And a man is more likely not going to a job that requres physical labor anymore.

A really scary DVD I rented on the matter was an episode of Penn & Tellers B.S. It says basically that you cannot escape your genetics. Most of the people hawking those products were born with those features already, and I probably don't have to tell you that every person in those Ab-whatever/Bowlex-that ads are fitness models. And, most of the before shots of overweight women were when they were pregnant. It is truly sad how many different ads were on last weekend early on a Sunday morning while eating breakfast.

Sarah Jackson,

Don't give up! People that are losing weight hit certain stages where the weight loss "pauses" or you even put a few pounds back on. The key is to not give up.

I once weighed in at 280 pounds. I got fed up with being that size and a year and a half later my Dr about fainted when I weighed in in his office at 163. That's right, 163 pounds.

I'm 6'1" and that was TOO light. I knew that, and started eating more fat grams. By the time 2002 rolled around, I was back up to 245. Unacceptable. But, I had went through a bunch of tough times, including divorce.

Here's what works for me, a middle aged man:

Fat grams: 50 per day or less

Water consumption: 1/2 GAL per day or MORE (My Dr said the main way fat particles leave your body is through urine. Make more urine=lose more weight.)

Though all of this, I still eat fast food (try Arby's instead of Macs or the King), drink beer and sit on the couch too much watching TV. Will it work for you? Dunno. I know it's more difficult for women to lose weight.

I really don't exercise, per say, but I do take walks.

My current weight this morning was 182.

I hope some of this information helps you and others on their quest to lose weight. And always remember to reward yourself! A candy bar after a week of staying under 50 fat grams per day is fine! Just don't eat 3 of them ;)

MrScott

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Raven Maven said:
Email, please.

And Tina -- behave!

Paula

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Don't worry, I will behave from now on. ;-)

I am not overweight but I have my own health-related issues I am trying to fix so I have no right to say anything.

I think it's a great idea and I am sure the winner will be glad they lost the weight once they see the rewards....better health, more energy, etc.

Oh, and a couple of rides on Voyage isn't a bad reward/incentive either. ;-)

Paula, this might be a good idea to remind Will and Mrs. Koch that HW REALLY needs a DDR machine. ;-) It's helped me stay in shape.

-Tina

*** Edited 1/25/2006 7:10:05 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

Flyingscooter, I don't plan on giving up at all. Not only just to ride Legend, Raven and Voyage but because I'm unhealthy. I hit a plateau around 20 pounds for about 3 weeks, then I started losing again. Then I got extremely sick and didn't eat for almost a week and was severely dehydrated. Weight dropped off then ;) and then of course I gained some back which was fine. I then lost another pound last week (I weigh only once a week). It was just such a shock this morning when I saw a 5 pound gain in one week. I don't know what is going on with my body right now. I think it is still trying to recover from my sickness, but that doesn't mean I don't need help because I sure as hell do.

MrScott, thank you for your advice. I am watching my calories more so than fat. By watching calories I am watching my fat for the most part. I eat between 1,300 cals a day (if I'm being really good) and 2,000 (when I'm not as good). My problem is that I'm getting those calories from a lot of processed foods. I need someone to show me how to buy and cook nutritious foods. As for the water, I really am bad in that department. I drink hardly any during the day and maybe 20 ounces at night. I do need to drink more. I know that. I just have to kick-start myself. I do exercise every week at least 3 times a week. I have a fitness membership to a very small local club. Right now I walk on the treadmill for about 40 minutes at varying speeds to get to and maintain my target heart rate. I will be starting weight training on February 1st though to add to my routine.

I'm excited and determined to lose weight. I just need some motivation sometimes, but I think everybody does. Being shown on national TV, yeah, now THAT is motivation. :)