Prince

Well, I really want to get in shape, ditch this compulsive eating thing of mine, and generally feel better. I've been reading up on tips on losing weight, and of course the best way to do it is to eat less and exercise more. However, eating is like a compulsive thing for me...so I've been trying to figure out what I could eat without gaining weight. People talk about fats, and carbs, and how you can lose one or the other. I don't know the difference! I just never really understood this stuff... Some say nuts are extremely good for you, others say they're not. Some claim popcorn is excellent diet food, and others disagree. My wife and I eat a lot of unhealthy food because eating healthy food is so expensive. Isn't there a cost-effective solution?

Another thing that makes it difficult for me to lose weight is the fact that I find it very difficult to leave the house, at all, in my current...size. Whenever I take the dog for a walk, I do it at night, because during the day I get so anxious about people seeing my fat arse walking down the street that I sweat like a hog from the anxiety alone. Are there any exercise moves and stuff you can do at home without equipment and not injure yourself?

Any advice would be really great.

Plan9Senior

I wish you lived in Orange County, I'd drag you to the park near me and keep you motivated to run every night

First off, tell me how much you weigh, your height, and your ultimate goal. Then tell me what you normally eat during the day (dont fib either!). After that, I will explain key protein/fat/carb ratios that will ensure that you are getting the optimal amounts from each category.


in the mean time, here are a few tips for you to follow:

1. Do not starve yourself. Starving yourself is damaging, and will eat up muscle that could be helping you burn fat.

2. You didn't get fat in few months, you got fat over years. Prepare and accept that healthy weight loss can also take years. (on a good note, when starting out you will lose a lot of weight quickly before you plateau to a steady 1-2 lb a week loss).

3. Keep hitting the weights, every lb of muscle eats 50 calories a day, and that's a sedentary estimate. As a male, one option you have is to add a few dozen pounds of muscle and let it help you burn the fat. For women that's not as easy.(and a 10+ lbs of muscle isn't REAL easy for a guy either, but it's a do-able long-range goal)

4. Do cardio, but don't rely on it all by itself to correct a bad diet. A good physique is made in the kitchen. Burning 500 calories in cardio and just not eating those 500 calories is about the same (mind you, from doing it via cardio you are also getting cardivascular benefits which is extremely important). Remember to not slack on your proper eating habits.

5. Give up sweets, period. I'm not talking do a ketogenic diet(heavy protein) that's a different topic. But sodas, sweets, and food products high in refined sugars and saturated fats have ZERO use.

6. **DRINK 1-2 gallons of WATER A DAY!!**

Prince

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it.

I don't have access to a scale, but based on what I've weighed the past few years, up and down, I'd say I weigh around 110-120 kg (230-250 lbs), I'm about 6'2" tall... My ultimate goal? I don't know...I don't plan on becoming "skinny" in the sense that my build is rather muscular (well, not that it looks like it now) and I am by no means a small guy, so i don't want to weigh like 160 lbs or something, but I would like to go down to 185-200 lbs, I think that would be fit enough...

It's hard to define what I eat during the day...because instead of meals, I mostly snack. I moved into the States this spring, and just a couple of weeks ago got my work permit, so I haven't got a job yet or stuff that would keep my mind occupied. So, I eat. I prefer fruit, but it tends to be expensive (at least considering the quantities I'd eat it) so my choices are usually popcorn, macaroni & cheese (yeah, I know...), ramen noodles (sp), popsicles (guess they're water and sugar...)... And pretzels. Pretzels pretzels pretzels. Also, I drink a lot during the day cuz I live in TX and it gets so hot here, especially for a European-born individual... I don't consume alcohol though, but I drink a lot of Crystal Light and similar (sugarless) stuff. Typically when my wife comes home from the vet (she's a vet tech) we eat a meal of some sort, but really, since we're pretty poor it's usually more fattening than healthy.

I used to starve myself, which cut some weight off of me, but it never worked long-term.

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Plan9Senior

Everything that you listed that you eat is completely the wrong things that you should be eating hehe. Those are all high carb non nutritional foods that your body just turns into stored fat. Not only that, but with as much pretzels that you are eating I bet your sodium consumption is through the roof...meaning that you most likely store a shitload of waterweight as well.

ok ok ok. First off, you need to go figure out how much you weigh before I can help you with your daily intake. I need the exact weight, no guessing. By the way, at 6'2, once you get in shape you are going to look awesome! I am only 6 foot and would KILL for 2 more inches .. anyway that is a different story...

Oh yeah, by the way
..well that is because starving yourself actually makes weight loss even MORE difficult. It forces your body into "starvation mode" which can cause a whole lot of serious medical problems. Not only that, but it makes your body shut down and slows your metabolism thus making fat loss almost impossible. Your body goes into a catabolic state in which it starts eating the muscle in your body and saving the precious fat. When you finally start eating again you end up gaining all the weight back AND MORE. It is amazing how some people will try and lose weight without the knowledge on how the body works in the first place.

People can't seem to grasp that in order to lose weight you should be eating more often (just in small portions). Gotta kick start that metabolism and keep it running strong.

Come back when you weigh yourself.

WhatAboutBob

Well, I am 30, a total carb addict, a beer junky, and a former high school athlete and college IM athlete.

Just last week, I started cutting out pop, sweets, Funyuns (that was the tough one) and everything else I know is shitty.

I have lost 10 pounds and I am looking to lose 40 more.

In all honesty though, it is driving me CRAZY finding something to eat. I know it will come in time, but seriously.

If anyone else has anymore tips, other than the obvious, I would welcome them.

FastShark85

WhatAboutBob:

The stuff you cut out and the resulting weight loss sounds a lot like what you'd be doing on Atkins.

Plan9Senior

whataboutbob, you will get used to the healthy foods and learn to really love eating them. Not only do they make you feel better and look better, but when you cheeat once in a while and eat something bad you can really feel how nasty and heavy that crap is in your stomach. Right now it is hard because you are still addicted to those highly addictive carbs. Keep them lower then normal and keep whatever carbs that you do eat before dinner. Carbs in the evening is bad news. They just end up storing at night and making a home in your belly as fat. My advice is to stick with a balanced healthy diet and avoid the atkins plan. It is much too difficult to keep active and exercising while on the atkins diet because of the lack of energy you will have. Our body was made to use fat and carbs as energy and the atkins plan tweaks your system so that you are using protein and fat instead. Not only that but being in the state of ketosis (which is how atkins works) is not a healthy thing to do for long periods of time. Balanced diets coupled with exercise is the absolute healthiest way to shed weight, simple as that.

Prince

Well, my wife and I went to her workplace (the vet) and I weighed myself... 264 lbs.

Got a long, long way to go.

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Plan9Senior

A solid diet goal for you should be eating a 40:40:20 protein/carb/fat ratio split meaning you get 40% of your calories from protein 40% from carbs and 20% from fat (oh, and GOOD fat from fish, almonds, olive oil, etc... NOT from junkfood)

Ok, at 6'2 264 your basal metabolic rate is around 2480 calories. This means during the day if you were to lay around and basically expend no energy, your body would require 2480 calories per day to maintain your current weight. Obviously, Your body "burns" more calories throughout the day than just the energy expended at rest to maintain normal bodily functions. Once you have calculated your BMR above, you can figure out how active you are and add that amount of expended calories to your resting BMR total. Example. If you walked everyday for 30 minutes at a

This means that you should be aiming to eat about 500 calories less that moderate pace, you would burn around 200 calories which means that your daily maintanance calories would be 2680 for that day if you wanted to maintain your weight.

Ok, now that I have explained that, you need to realize why people who are serious about losing weight count their calories on EVERYTHING they eat. It is not because they are freaks, they just want to make sure that they are eating below their BMR for the day so that they will be losing fat. The optimal fat loss rate would be 1-2 lbs per week. In order to lose 1 pound of fat per week you need to burn 3500 calories (3500 calories in 1 lb of fat). This can be done by eating 500 less calories per day (7days X 500 cals = 1 lb lost per week) or by burning 500 calories per day via exercise. This is another reason why a balance of exercise and diet makes it more efficient.

Like I said above, it took a while for you to gain that fat so expect to take some time removing it from your body. The good part is that you are already past the hardest part... and that is kicking yourself in the ass hard enough to start today! Remember, at first you willl most likely lose weight at a much quicker pace because you will lose some water. After that tapers down, you will be aiming to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Anything more then that and you are losing muscle as well which is not good.

Well Prince, I sorta threw all of that together really fast so I hope I didnt miss anything. If you have anymore questions or questions about what you should be eating then feel free to post them on this thread

*note: as you lose weight, your BMR will change so you will constantly be having to revise your diet every week until you reach your goal. To figure out your BMR, there are many websites that have Basal Metabolic Rate calculators that you can find from google. Good luck Prince and update us with your results each week

Oh, and for a GREAT website to see what one dedicated person can achieve in just months of hard work, check out this guys website: http://www.twowiresthin.com/wl2003/

Take the time to read his story and how he did it. He has great detail of what he ate, what exercise he did, and how much he lost each day. It is very thorough and is a great motivational and learning site to keep bookmarked.

FastShark85

Plan9:

Why do you believe that people on Atkins have low energy??????

Have you done Atkins? I have/am doing it. I have more energy now than I did before. A lot more.

Experience > conjecture.

Plan9Senior

At the gym I have worked with many people on the Atkins diet (about 20 or so) and I also have 2 family members (nephew and brother in-law) and none of them have the stamina that a person on a balanced diet has. Not only that but they have such a limited selection of foods that it becomes increasingly difficult to stick with it (they call it Atkins Blues, which you might not be aware of yet...but rest assured..you will ). Sir, I think it is great that you are excited about your atkins diet, but I would not put my opinion about it if it was based solely on guesswork. Ketogenic, Atkins, South Beach Diet, Power for Life programs.... blah. So much unecessary headache to achieve what a proper balanced diet will acheive. Have fun with your diet, this thread is not about Atkins.

FastShark85

No "blues" and I've been on it 81 days.

Point taken about the topic. I'll stop hijacking the thread.

saltfish

Ok, Prince, My good man..

Allow me to say something.

By the definition that you have given me, you aren't that big. When you were saying... "Current Condition" I was assuming you were like 500 lbs.

I, Saltfish am 6'3" and 230 lbs. At my highest, I was around 260... ...and that was a bit on the chunky-side. Though, you don't seem to be that "BIG."

I can give you one tip that allowed me to loose a good deal of mass in a relatively short amount of time.

Cut back on soda, change to diet! That in itself, in the long run, will help you loose weight. On top of that, make sure that you're taking 1000-2000mg of calcium a day. Research has shown that all things being equal, an increased calcium intake will aid in weight loss. So, which brings me to my next one, multi-vitamin. <- take one a day. Drink plenty of water, and eat things that have fiber in them.

If you are interested in a little more in-depth convo, send me a PM, or we can keep it going on from here.

-SF

Oh, and on a side note. Go to half.com and get a copy of the newest Atkins Diet Revolution. My father has been on Atkins for just about a year now, and has lost almost 90 lbs. He can eat anywhere we go, he has (in his eyes) an almost limitless selection. You just need to be aware of hidden sugars... You woudln't beleive the "Atkins" products they have now, breads, pastas, desserts.. ..beleive me, my dad was the man who ate anything and EVERYTHING. ...and this diet has been a complete turnaround for him!

I did atkins back when a carb was a carb was a carb and all I ate was Hamburger patties, string cheese, shrimp and salad with mustard. That was BAD. Though they have changed the way that you look at a carb.

Mael

i'm doing atkins right now... here's my thoughts on the energy. i have much more consistant energy during the day, no dips or spikes... but, i also don't have the energy to do as good of a cardio workout anymore. one of my classes is exercise phys, and in the lab we measured our VO2max's in two different ways, one one week, the other the next. The first I was not doing atkins, and did it with no problem, but the second, was much more tiring doing less work. so it's got it's upsides and downsides. maybe once i'm on it longer, i'll be able to do cardio better, but i don't know. i would myself recommend it to others though, if overeating/binge eating is an issue, because after a few days you start to stop having those cravings.

tigerkick

hello Plan9 it seems that you really done your homework regarding proper diet and maintaining muscle mass.. im just curious of how someone who knows their proper diet and giving advice on forums r would look...would u mind if you post a pic of yours? preferably upper body.. thx!

Plan9Senior

Although, you asking for a picture of my upper body seems sorta homo, what kind of picture do you want, relaxed...flexed...sideview..back? Hmmmm this feels odd asking, but if you want to see a pic of my body please be more specific . If you just want my stats, I am 6' tall 175 lbs 11% bodyfat

tigerkick

flexed of course.. called "Most Muscular posture" you dont have too man.. but it would be truly appeciated.. thx in advanced! and yes.. the question is a little odd for me as a guy.. but i can assure you no malicious intent ..

Plan9Senior

Looking for comparative pics to somebody your weight or something? Anyhow, not a prob. I would feel more comfortable PMing you a pic of myself then to post it on here on public . I am too modest to post it here for all to see.

Prince

But we want to see your buttocks too.....

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Plan9Senior

Oh no! The Health & Fitness forum has turned into a singles hot-chat room for gay males!!!

Hedgehog

Just making this up as I go...the exercise stamina thing regarding Atkins does make sense. I'm a big Atkins advocate, so I'm not showing bias here. I personally haven't had this happen to me.

But, let's see...

A low-carb diet should produce a stable, predictable blood sugar level. However, during exercise, the body looks for carbs as its primary energy source (quick reserve energy). If you are pulling energy exclusively from glycogen stores (stored fat), it is not nearly as accessible as the alternative. Thus, a perceived lack of stamina, as you don't have any high-octane fuel in your system.

(I don't remember this really well, but I'd also bet that when your body is trying to scrounge energy while low on oxygen reserves during exercise, that converting protein and fat into glycogen is much more difficult)

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Jam

im like 5'11 or something and about 170lbs i think but i wanna be down around 140...

i usualy for breakfast before work have some toast, white bread (i know) only like two pieces... no drink

drink water throughout the day, not much tho

then at lunch have usualy a sandwhich, ham and cheese... a couple raspberry nutrigrain bars, some doritos(not many other people take them and i know there bad for me) and to drink water.. and a juice box or 2 of apple juice(unsweetened) or mixed juice such as pineapple raspberry and something

then supper.... well thats always different.. sometimes i eat fast food sometimes i eat dinner at home... roast beef... potatoes... whatever or grilled cheese..

anyways yeah thats my mixed up diet...

Plan9Senior

You will only gain weight from that diet. I dont see one thing on the list of things you mentioned that is good quality food. Every single thing you mentioned (aside from the water which you "barely drink") is basically crap .

Liquor Dealer

Look at the Atkins diet - if it doesn't sound right for you look at the South Beach Diet -It is a modified version of Atkins with a few more carbs and less fat than Atkins.

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