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A yr or more ago i made a thread about wanting to lose weight.

Well, that didn't take ... it didn't even have a chance because i never started then.

 

But over the past few months i have been thinking of doing it and finally 2 weeks ago i started small improvements.

But first, i'm about 6 feet tall, broad, quite big bones [and it's not a lie i tell myself, ppl have asked if i played rugby], and i weigh about 135-140kg. It's very difficult to weigh yourself past 120kg, so i'm guesstimating on the + side.

That means about 295-305 pounds with an 'ideal' weight for me at around 95-100kg [210-220 pounds].

 

So the goal is to lose about 80 pounds overall.

My limit for physical exercise is 120kg [265 pounds]; above that and my joints tend to hurt ... a lot.

I can't weight lift anymore, compressed nerve in right forearm, but i can do all other sorts of physical exercises.

I always enjoyed swimming and biking, but the former is out of the question as it's both expensive and ... embarassing. :(

 

I got to this weight by having a mostly sedentary lifestyle, and with a nice Cola addiction ... think one 2.5l bottle / day.

Not only that but my diet was atrocious, fast-food mostly, steady diet of shawormas, burgers ... and even ... cakes. :(

 

---

Now, about the changes.

 

2 weeks ago i started cooking.

It's rather simple with some basic rules :

- avoid starch

- if i can't avoid starch, go for whole-grain [usually with pasta]

- avoid fats

- the ingredients have to be as close as possible to basic; that means no processed meats, or vegetables [from a can]

- less salt overall

- food should not be overtly spicy but not bland either

- try to eat warm [i eat cooked food ... cold]

 

I mostly did peas stew with chicken.

Some olive oil, add chopped garlic and onions, add meat, add pepper and a small part of salt [avoid stuff with MSG like crazy], add chopped bell peppers, add chopped tomatoes, and 2 bags of 1 pound of peas/peas+carrots/green beans ... let it there for 1h or so, until the sauce thickens and the starch leaves the peas.

In the past i used to use not having an ingredient as justification over why i could not cook something ... this time i just wanted some warm and cooked and good.

 

So far the cooking has been the only change [still guzzle down Cola], but i dropped about 5-6kg [13 pounds].

I guess it's mostly avoided water retention but also some measure of weight loss.

Halfway through this 2 week period i ate some processed meats [mici ... caseless sausages], and i ballooned up for that day.

 

---

Next element i want to add to the change is to switch to some more healthy meals, cream soup for one [pure vegetable and very easy to prepare]. I'm thinking green pumpkins, cauliflower, onions, leek, carrots, white beet, red long peppers. All of this put in a pressure cooker, and when done ... mushed into soup.

Also, i tried to use tricks to suppress appetite ... but they don't work as well for me as eating healthy as a goal does; i can do it for a while but i always end up yo-yo-ing the whole thing.

 

The big thing would be if i managed to drop the Cola and switch to tea [i did it for a while and it was great].

 

One thing i'm doing differently is not taking failure as hard; in the past the smallest failure in the diet or the change would prove that i ****ed up, depressed me and i would stop.

Now, even if i have a small relapse, i try in broad strokes to stick to it.

So far this has worked great, in the past though i knew how to cook i never had the drive to stick to it this far and i would have taken last week's failure very hard.

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GorillaTheater
I recommend smoking. Nothing like nicotine to spruce up a metabolism.

 

:laugh:

 

It might be healthier to go with nicotine patches. Slap a half-dozen of them on your arm and you'll be good to go.

 

Are you doing lots of walking?

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When i have to go somewhere, i tend to walk ...

I'd say 2 ... maybe 3 miles / day.

Not everyday though.

 

I'm trying to lay low on physical exercise until i reach the 265, where i can actually use a cheap mountain bike for exercising without puncturing the tires at bumps in the road.

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GorillaTheater

I wish I could help more with the "how to", but I'm sure we have a lot of folks with in-depth knowledge here.

 

I'm happy to be a cheerleader, though. Even though I don't really have the legs for it. I'm proud of you, man. Keep us posted on your progress.

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Thanks man ... and may i say, you look awesome in pink and white pompons with short frilly skirt.

However, i would not try to apply for the Dallas Cowboys if i were you ... the legs are a bit of a Debbie Downer. :)

 

--

 

On a more serious note, i gotta do this.

I'm closing in on 33, i'm changing career to a physically demanding one, and i would seriously like to keep enjoying my life.

Future enjoyment of relationship with hot gf is also a dream of mine. :p

 

PS: Also, i would seriously be happy if i manage to lose weight while also saving money. :)

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Amaysngrace may be right about the 150 marlboro red.....

 

Seriously though, good luck. You have some quite heavy food out there.

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Dropping the soda would be the single easiest change to get your calories down. Did I read correct, 2.5 L per day?! Let's compromise and you cut that in half immediately. And you only get to drink it out of an 8 oz cup (235 mL). After a cup of soda you must drink 1 cup of water before you get more soda. No, you can't use a bigger cup. No excuses.

 

I just saved you 4 lbs of fat per month. And we haven't even got you off the sofa yet.

 

No more excuses to avoid exercise either. Start light. Start easy. But start. Walking counts and is the exercise equivalent of giving up soda. For now you can walk 2 days in a row and then take a day off for your joints to rest. Can you do 30 minutes? 60? Tell me.

 

And swimming is an excellent option. It would be great if you get over your insecurity because swimming is easy on your joints. How about you sign up for 1 day a week water aerobics class?

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Dropping the soda would be the single easiest change to get your calories down. Did I read correct, 2.5 L per day?! Let's compromise and you cut that in half immediately. And you only get to drink it out of an 8 oz cup (235 mL). After a cup of soda you must drink 1 cup of water before you get more soda. No, you can't use a bigger cup. No excuses.

Tried it, it's a all or nothing with me when it comes to Soda.

Getting there ... but it will take a while.

 

The bright part is that if i were to drop the soda, i would lose more weight than that.

 

 

No more excuses to avoid exercise either. Start light. Start easy. But start. Walking counts and is the exercise equivalent of giving up soda. For now you can walk 2 days in a row and then take a day off for your joints to rest. Can you do 30 minutes? 60? Tell me.
Walking can be done, but it's a bit more ... complicated for now.

I can't go into details.

 

I'm more likely to do physical exercise by fixing up the yard [which is something i'll start on Thursday].

 

And swimming is an excellent option. It would be great if you get over your insecurity because swimming is easy on your joints. How about you sign up for 1 day a week water aerobics class?
No way.

1 - it's expensive and i'm trying to keep costs desperately down. Even when i'm done with my degree and will have a nice full time job, it's still not an option because getting access to a pool here is 100+ bucks / month.

That's on a 400$ wage, for full time, 40hs / week work ... and this is the average wage in my country.

Not doable.

2 - you won't get this, because as i recall you are a woman; i am overweight and when i'm overweight i have pronounced gynecomastia.

The ppl who can afford to go to a pool [the gyms have those here], are health freaks pr*cks and i really dislike being pointed at and laughed after paying good money for it.

My self-esteem is good enough to not give a sh*t about it, or try to fix it [i could do it], and i would survive being laughed at ... but why the hell would i pay so much for such a s*it experience ???

 

Long term physical exercise is already arranged, mountain bike ... nice 2mile circular path through the village ... a good # of those / day in the morning and evening should do.

A very cheap disposable mountain bike is like 100$ here brand new anyway.

Edited by Radu
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I agree with PogoStick in regards to the soda. I too was a hardcore soda drinker. I switched to diet which just wasn't doing it for me. I ended up going cold turkey and switching to black coffee For my caffeine. I'd always hated coffee but the thought was, I either drink coffee or I get no caffeine.

Trust me. The idea of giving up my soda was enough to send me into a panic attack. I went for two MISERABLE weeks where I felt like I was going to die... And then the cravings went away.

I suggest trying to count your calories for a week. Add them up.

I found out how much soda I was drinking, and discovered I could have a big steak or I could have a soda to stay in my calorie limit.

 

Steak won. :)

 

 

Putting that lecture aside, in my experience, changing my lifestyle baby steps at a time is what helped me the most. I too got rid of most processed foods from my diet. Keyword: most. Don't deny yourself treats every now and then, it helps keep you from slipping backwards.

 

Another tip here... This is not a race. Unless your doctor tells you, "you lose 80 pounds now or DEAD tomorrow..." Take your time. Be nice to you (because sometimes no one else will). Focus on your health. Write down simple goals you want for yourself (even if they're dumb like, walk 10 more minutes than yesterday. Drink one more cup of water today). All of that adds up and all those baby steps start off as "pat myself on the back" and turn into healthy habits you don't even think about.

 

Gonna have bad days/weeks/months? You betcha.

I write down stupid non-scale victories that are way cooler than what the scale says (I was able to pick up my 40 pound niece the other day without my fat stomach getting in the way, without grunting, without sweating).

 

As far as exercise goes, I've done ZERO exercise in a gym and have spent exactly ZERO dollars. I was Unhealthy, sick, in constant pain and I started off very SLOW, but I tried to do something every day (which is better than what I was doing... nothig). I'm a huge advocate for yoga, stretching, calisthenics (something your body can handle), walking, tai chi, body weight exercises, outdoor activities with friends. I've done my research with what my body can handle and with what is free. I do all of this at home or with my friends

 

Anyway, I've lost 70 pounds this last year... Just by being nice to myself, aiming for healthy, no gym, lots of water, trying to get more sleep and not giving up.

 

 

Good luck, sir. You can do this :) it sounds like you're on the right track.

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lil hoodlum

I have an excellent tip for the cutting out the sodas.

 

 

I was/am like you that I am addicted to sodas. Mainly for the caffeinne and to drink something sweet.

 

 

It was suggested to me that I switch to Mio Energy drops. It has caffeinne. Add a few drops of the Mio to your water bottles and enjoy. I was able to cut out the sodas and didn't suffer from the caffeinne withdrawals. You can over time reduce the amount of drops of Mio to reduce the amount of caffeine that you consume. I really felt alot better about cutting out the sodas using the Mio. Sadly I ran out of it and not all of the flavors contain caffeinne so you need to read the label and see which ones do.

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It's really all about portion control to be honest. I usually eat like crap when Timshel's not around to influence me, she even gets me to eat vegtables and stuff, but even while doing so I've been making sure to keep the total intake below what it needs to be. Like I would have garbage proccessed beef and bean burritos for dinner, but I'd only have three of them and that would be my one meal for the day. 1200 calories, boom. One day I had a 2 liter bottle of soda and I didn't eat any food. 880 calories for the day. And those pants that used to take a hurculean effort to get on now fit me just fine. And need a belt actually.

 

I have about 10 more pounds to lose and I'm determined to get as much of that off before my birthday next month, so now I'm just totally skipping eating during most of the week. With the one exception being today when I went to the pizza hut buffet and had 3 plates of junky pizza and breadsticks. But I'm still gonna end the week on a huge calorie defecit so I'll lose weight. It's a system I wouldn't really recommend to anyone but it is a pretty clear example of how it's all about the overall calories.

 

In your case Radu I would make the number one priority getting rid of the soda. It's not filling, the ingredients mess up your metabolism, and it's so calorie loaded that you really have to punish yourself food wise if you want to drink it and still lose weight. As someone else said it's like a drug, and once you spend a week or two detoxing and drinking water, not tea the cravings will most likely go away, or at least become bearable.

 

Other than that I would eat whatever you want dude, processed, not processed. Whatever fills you up the best with the least calories. That used to be fatty hamburgers and meat for me. Health food can actually hurt you if it isn't filling, because you end up eating more calories overall.

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deathandtaxes

Cut out that nasty cola. I assume it's the regular stuff? That stuff has so many calories it's not even funny. You're severely sabotaging your attempt if you keep drinking it. If you have to. find a diet soda that you like. There are so many choices out there! And even diet soda can be problematic as research is finding out, but I digress.

 

With that being said, seems like you're off to a good start! A bummer about not being able to work out. Being active is key to starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But the food intake is paramount to weight management. You can't exercise enough to compensate for a crap diet.

 

I decided to get healthy when I was around 26 years old (I'm now 37) and I topped out over 265 pounds on a 6' frame. I now maintain my weight around the 171 pound mark and have done so for years. I lost the weight in stages. First down to the 200's. Then the 190's. Then the 180's. And now in the low 170's.

 

There are no secrets. Consume less than needed for your body to maintain weight. Exercise to get that extra bump in calorie burning.

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I agree with PogoStick in regards to the soda. I too was a hardcore soda drinker. I switched to diet which just wasn't doing it for me. I ended up going cold turkey and switching to black coffee For my caffeine. I'd always hated coffee but the thought was, I either drink coffee or I get no caffeine.

Trust me. The idea of giving up my soda was enough to send me into a panic attack. I went for two MISERABLE weeks where I felt like I was going to die... And then the cravings went away.

I suggest trying to count your calories for a week. Add them up.

I found out how much soda I was drinking, and discovered I could have a big steak or I could have a soda to stay in my calorie limit.

 

Steak won. :)

I'm mostly addicted to the taste of sweetness with carbonated. :)

 

Diet is actually worse than regular, much worse :

- for one it just runs through you, no sense of filling

- aspartam is not a good thing

- worse is the shock you give to your body by drinking something sweet, which means insuline creation with no real purpose in mind

 

 

Putting that lecture aside, in my experience, changing my lifestyle baby steps at a time is what helped me the most. I too got rid of most processed foods from my diet. Keyword: most. Don't deny yourself treats every now and then, it helps keep you from slipping backwards.

This is exactly my approach.

 

Another tip here... This is not a race. Unless your doctor tells you, "you lose 80 pounds now or DEAD tomorrow..." Take your time. Be nice to you (because sometimes no one else will). Focus on your health. Write down simple goals you want for yourself (even if they're dumb like, walk 10 more minutes than yesterday. Drink one more cup of water today). All of that adds up and all those baby steps start off as "pat myself on the back" and turn into healthy habits you don't even think about.

 

Gonna have bad days/weeks/months? You betcha.

I write down stupid non-scale victories that are way cooler than what the scale says (I was able to pick up my 40 pound niece the other day without my fat stomach getting in the way, without grunting, without sweating).

 

As far as exercise goes, I've done ZERO exercise in a gym and have spent exactly ZERO dollars. I was Unhealthy, sick, in constant pain and I started off very SLOW, but I tried to do something every day (which is better than what I was doing... nothig). I'm a huge advocate for yoga, stretching, calisthenics (something your body can handle), walking, tai chi, body weight exercises, outdoor activities with friends. I've done my research with what my body can handle and with what is free. I do all of this at home or with my friends

 

Anyway, I've lost 70 pounds this last year... Just by being nice to myself, aiming for healthy, no gym, lots of water, trying to get more sleep and not giving up.

 

 

Good luck, sir. You can do this :) it sounds like you're on the right track.

Nice ...

If i can drop another 30-35 pounds, i can do exercises in the form of biking. :)

I could easily do 20 miles / day with it.

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Grumpybutfun

What you are doing sounds like a great start. Joint pain is something you do not want to mess with...you can do all kinds of damage and not even realize it by doing things too quickly. I agree with your approach of getting your nutrition worked out first. Im southern (USA) so I really had to do an overhaul when I started training and I miss sweet tea to this day. Sweet tea with lemon equals that Cola love affair you have going on....honestly, I still have it as a treat occasionally but I had to just go cold turkey at first. I switched to unsweetened fruit tisanes tea. I sweetened it with lemon slices, strawberry, lime or berries. It took a lot of getting used to but it really is about retraining your taste buds.

 

I also stopped thinking of salads as rabbit food and learned to make "manly" salads with lots of grilled veggies....almonds, walnuts, fruit and different types of greens like baby kale, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, baby spinach as my base. I also make my own dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and different dried spices like rosemary and thyme. I saute everything in water and sodium free chicken stock....zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, asparagus, arugula, eggplant....I will eat any vegetable with garlic and onion. I also switched from white to brown rice and now add beans to everything since I eat smaller portions of meat when I'm not training. Kidney, garbanzo, navy, cannelini.....sauté those in olive oil with bok choy, tilapia and carrots and place it over rice and you have dinner. Rice and beans are very filling.

I eat clean 80% when not in training...95% when I am....and still manage to have cheat meals or snacks of stuff I like everyday....thereby sticking with the main plan and not feeling deprived. Figure out what works for you and just try to keep mindful of portions and food preparation. Grill, sauté or bake if possible. Little to no fried foods and limit butter and salt, if possible.

Lite stretching every morning and evening too is good for your muscles. Don't rush into something strenuous. I think you are smart for being cognizant of your limitations...serious injury isn't going to be helpful to your health. Man, you are still young and you can do this. I've done things I never thought I could do...pushing myself to eat stuff I hated or to give up stuff I thought I could never give up like chicken fried steak with gravy and lard biscuits. It won't be easy, but it is worth it in the end.

Good luck...and I'm really cheering you on too,

Grumps

Edited by Grumpybutfun
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CrystalCastles
I like carbonated fruity water as a soda alternative. And they're cheaper!

 

Those are good!

 

I also like adding a bit of fruit juice to my water to give it a little sweetness and flavour. It might not be carbonated but it tastes good (and it makes the juice last a while).

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What you are doing sounds like a great start. Joint pain is something you do not want to mess with...you can do all kinds of damage and not even realize it by doing things too quickly. I agree with your approach of getting your nutrition worked out first. Im southern (USA) so I really had to do an overhaul when I started training and I miss sweet tea to this day. Sweet tea with lemon equals that Cola love affair you have going on....honestly, I still have it as a treat occasionally but I had to just go cold turkey at first. I switched to unsweetened fruit tisanes tea. I sweetened it with lemon slices, strawberry, lime or berries. It took a lot of getting used to but it really is about retraining your taste buds.

I think much of the attraction comes from the mix of sugar with carbonated, i'm not that big on caffeine.

I've been toying with the idea of going to the fridge to get a glass instead of keeping the bottle near me. It cut down a little on the amount i drank.

Also, carbonated chilled water from the fridge seems to be a good replacement ... cold seems to be a big thing for me.

 

I also stopped thinking of salads as rabbit food and learned to make "manly" salads with lots of grilled veggies....almonds, walnuts, fruit and different types of greens like baby kale, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, baby spinach as my base. I also make my own dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and different dried spices like rosemary and thyme. I saute everything in water and sodium free chicken stock....zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, asparagus, arugula, eggplant....I will eat any vegetable with garlic and onion. I also switched from white to brown rice and now add beans to everything since I eat smaller portions of meat when I'm not training. Kidney, garbanzo, navy, cannelini.....sauté those in olive oil with bok choy, tilapia and carrots and place it over rice and you have dinner. Rice and beans are very filling.

All sounds great, except for beans.

I avoid them like the plague.

 

I eat clean 80% when not in training...95% when I am....and still manage to have cheat meals or snacks of stuff I like everyday....thereby sticking with the main plan and not feeling deprived. Figure out what works for you and just try to keep mindful of portions and food preparation. Grill, sauté or bake if possible. Little to no fried foods and limit butter and salt, if possible.

Lite stretching every morning and evening too is good for your muscles. Don't rush into something strenuous. I think you are smart for being cognizant of your limitations...serious injury isn't going to be helpful to your health. Man, you are still young and you can do this. I've done things I never thought I could do...pushing myself to eat stuff I hated or to give up stuff I thought I could never give up like chicken fried steak with gravy and lard biscuits. It won't be easy, but it is worth it in the end.

Good luck...and I'm really cheering you on too,

Grumps

One thing i gave up almost 3 weeks ago has been frying.

I had quite a few opportunities to make snitzels but i passed on them for that reason.

 

Thanks for the cheering. :)

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The snitzel part was very very hard.

 

I make them very good, and just writing the word down has created a craving. :(

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Grumpybutfun
The snitzel part was very very hard.

 

I make them very good, and just writing the word down has created a craving. :(

 

Yeah, my wife makes good chicken fried steak and lard biscuits too and I am craving them like mad now...but I just ate an apple and drank some water instead. It will have to suffice.

I have a MMA tourney this weekend locally though and I want to be bad ass!

Therefore, no fried foods, unfortunately, but I get your pain!

Best,

Grumps

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regine_phalange

You have a similar body type as my brother... And it's a really good looking and manly body type once you lose weight. My brother also was around your weight and lost it with low carb and HIIT. He shaped his arms with pull ups and chin ups (maybe you can also do that?). He can build chunks of muscle easily but he also puts fat on easily.

 

The montignac method is also effective. You are allowed carbs with low or medium glycemic index but you have to watch how you combine them with proteins and fats. The truth is that of all the "diets" I've tried myself, this was one of the easiest because you don't count calories and you can eat nice stuff. I also lost 1 kg per week (and I didn't have much to lose to begin with). You only need to watch the combination of foods and you're set.

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I'm reading it right now ... one time i'm thankful my field is chemistry and that i took biochemistry and drugs courses. :p

It's very interesting.

 

Actually, the idea for the diet belongs to my little sister that dropped an unspecified amount of weight with it [she may be reading this ... ].

 

But best of all, it was not just a diet, but also a lifestyle change for her.

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I don't think I'm allowed to link to it, but there's a site called "my fitness pal". Go there. It will help you calculate everything you need to do/eat in order to lose weight at a pace you are comfortable with. You also need to get a food scale so you can calculate exactly the number of calories you are consuming in a day (most people grossly underestimate the number of calories they are actually consuming). I lost about 20% of my body weight using that site, tracking everything I ate/drank, recording calories burned through various physical activities, but mostly, staying within my allowed limits every single day. After a while the new eating/exercising habits just became a way of life. And I haven't gained back a single ounce.

 

The soda does need to go, though. Along with anything else that contains "empty" calories. Losing or maintaining weight requires that you change how you think about food. Food is simply fuel for your body and while eating is certainly enjoyable, the enjoyment is just a side benefit. Use food as fuel, consuming no more than your body needs to maintain itself and the weight will come off - and stay off.

 

Go to the site - you will not regret it.

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