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Unfattening Specialists?
robotbebop
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I need to not be fat. I don't consider myself morbidly obese, but for my height and age I am still way overweight.
I'm not sure how much I actually weigh since I don't have an actual scale, but I'm fairly certain I've gained weight, as certain activities feel more exhausting and draining than they should be. It's just been so gradual over the last two to three years that I haven't really bothered.
I want to talk to a person who helps people lose weight, but.. I'm not sure who you actually go to. A doctor? A trainer? A nutrionist?
I basically want to get a good idea of what the optimal activities and diet for me are. I mean, beyond the basics of just excersizing in general and not eating buckets of sludge.
I'm not sure how much I actually weigh since I don't have an actual scale, but I'm fairly certain I've gained weight, as certain activities feel more exhausting and draining than they should be. It's just been so gradual over the last two to three years that I haven't really bothered.
I want to talk to a person who helps people lose weight, but.. I'm not sure who you actually go to. A doctor? A trainer? A nutrionist?
I basically want to get a good idea of what the optimal activities and diet for me are. I mean, beyond the basics of just excersizing in general and not eating buckets of sludge.
Do not feel trapped by the need to achieve anything, this way you achieve everything.
Oh, hey I'm making a game! Check it out: Dr. Weirdo!
Oh, hey I'm making a game! Check it out: Dr. Weirdo!
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So for example (this should be first) one week, you stop drinking soda and replace it with coffee.
For the third, you make certain to eat a green leafy vegetable with every meal.
Get what I mean?
Next week, you chooce to walk up and down stairs instead of taking an escaltor or elevator.
If you want someone to give you a good program/diet, shell out the cash for a consultation with a personal trainer but the fitness forum here is quite extensive.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: Probably around 300-315lbs. My mom's Wii Fit told me I was 300lbs a few months back, if that's worth anything.
Diet: Admittedly awful. Categorically terrible. Bachelor food, mostly microwavable. Usually ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch when I do get enough groceries.
I'm not exactly proud of this, but, well.. I eat mcdonalds breakfast every morning for the following. Mainly because I get up around 5:50am and leave my house at 6:20am to arrive 20 minutes out of town, where I have yet another hour to kill before I can reasonably show up for work. If I eat before leaving my home I'll likely be hungry before 10:00am. I've toyed with the idea of keeping cereal and milk at the office and just eating when I get in.
Because I don't generally do a lot of grocery shopping, I end up eating out at fast food again for lunch. For a while I was doing this with reckless abandon. Now I try to avoid eating abject garbage when this does happen. This is the main thing I'm actively trying to curb right now, because it is awful for me and is fucking expensive as all hell. I am still living paycheck to paycheck and at my current salary I have absolutely no excuse to be doing so, and this is a huge factor in that. Suffice to say I'm aware of what I need to do in regards to my financial situation, so that's another story that I don't need help with.
When I get home I usually make something lighter, or have a basic lunchmeat,cheese,butter sandwich. Or just microwave something, failing that KD.
Excersize: I am a programmer, so my lifestyle and work life is as sedentary as it gets. For a long time I was walking up a somewhat fairly hill to get to my workplace from McDs. Generally about 15-20 minutes of straight uphill walking. But for the last few months I've been slacking and catching a bus at least 2-3 days of the week. My excuse to myself is either my back lately (sciatic nerve, seriously. It sucks, but I'm sure not excersizing isn't helping. Haven't tweaked it this bad in years.) or just that I generally have been feeling awful after eating the slop at mcds.
I don't drink a lot of pop, and I wasn't drinking coffee for a long time. I had been caffine free for a long time leading up to PAX. And, well, I fell off the wagon after 5 consecutive days of 3-hour sleep nights.
Oh, hey I'm making a game! Check it out: Dr. Weirdo!
Instead of McDonalds for breakfast, try fruit, nuts, maybe a bagel or oatmeal or yogurt or whatever. Start going grocery shopping a cooking healthier stuff, especially leaner meats or no meats.
This can be difficult, but do not eat fast food anymore. Just don't. Save fast food for emergencies, you should not have it more than we'll say twice a month, tops. When you do have to eat out, don't order that big greasy hamburger. Go to wendy's if there is one near you, and buy something like a small chili, a potato, and a side salad. It'll be around $3-4 bucks, and is about as healthy as you'll get for fast food.
For breakfasts, why not buy a box of healthy granola bars and have a bottle of juice. Grab a glass of juice and a granola bar when you are going out the door. Or make a bagel, wrap it up in a paper bag, and save it for when you get to work.
If you buy microwaveable food, go for the healthy choice type meals, they will have on the front how many calories each has and all that. They are surprisingly palatable, and can be pretty cheap. I had one for dinner tonight that was shrimp/pasta, with broccoli and a little fruit desert thing, 270 calories total. (try not to eat these too often, as it is still better to cook your own food)
If you have a microwave and a fridge at your work, you can go the easy route for lunches and bring healthy frozen meals. I also find that making a bit extra for dinner and packing it up works great. (soups/chili/pasta is good for this, or we cook up an extra chicken breast and make a sandwich)
Recently my boyfriend and I decided to eat healthy, go grocery shopping with a meal plan every few weeks, and completely cut out fast food. I also don't drink soda, but that is less diet, more just general preference. It is great to cut out soda though.
The boost to 'extra' cash is rather amazing, we feel so much better (eating a vegetable with every lunch/dinner, no excuses), lots of salad, grilled chicken, fish, and steak when we find good deals on it.
When we go grocery shopping we make a general list first, then write that all down, leaving a space next to each thing so we can watch how much we're spending.
something like this (I'm actually copying from our grocery list I have here on my comp), we don't buy all of this every time of course, and we build on it when we want more variety, but it is a good basic list.
chicken ___ generally around $10 for a large bag of frozen chicken breasts
fish ___ around the same price as the chicken
pasta ___ pasta-roni is easy, and tasty. it makes a good side to the chicken. around $1 a box. A box should be more than enough for you to have some for dinner, and also to pack up a bunch for lunch the next day.
rice ___ minute rice [$2 for a small box] for when I make stir-fry, and a few rice-a-ronis for sides to the fish/chicken [$1 a box]
salad ___ we get a bag of pre-made [$2-3], with some carrots in it. I like mine with italian dressing
veggies ___ We eat a lot of broccoli, and I love soybeans (edamame). Around $1-2 a bag
soups ___ we usually get powdered soups, price varies on brand
chili ___ we wait for it to go on sale, and stock up. around $1 a can
potatoes ___ you can make a baked potato in the microwave in around 8 minutes. around $3-4 dollars a bag
eggs ___ another easy breakfast, just hardboil some eggs beforehand, and grab a couple before you walk out the door.
bread/buns ___
milk ___
juice ___
misc ___ (if you need onions, tomatoes, whatever for a particular meal)
After we have all the necessities for basic dinners, we decide on lunch foods/snacks
celery ___
yogurts ___ We actually make smoothies out of yogurt. Freeze it, chop up some bananas, freeze them, then blend the shit out of it with your prefered juice.
crackers ___ we buy cracked wheat crackers and eat them with cheese/salami. Not too many at a time, but is so good at hitting that 'I want chips' craving.
lunch meat ___
bagels ___
string cheese ___
cereal ___ avoid the sugary ones, go with something like cheerios or frosted miniwheats
fruits ___
nuts ___
pickles ___
cottage cheese ___
frozen lunches/dinners ___ we don't buy too many of these, and we save them for either work lunches when we didn't make extra dinner, or for those nights when you are just exhausted. Remember, the healthy ones though.
Italian dressing is an easy marinade for chicken until you learn how to mix spices to make your own preferred taste. Defrost the chicken, we put it in a zippy bag and in a bowl of warm water some hours before dinner, and set it to marinate 2-3 hours before cooking. I slice the raw chicken breast in half length-wise for easier cooking, makes it easier to bite through if you want to make a sandwich too. If you're new to cooking, when you think it is done make sure it is white all the way through by cutting a slit into the thickest part of the chicken.
Sometimes we grill up a chicken breast, slice it up and split it between the two of us over a salad/pasta. Delicious.
The best thing to do is not to go on a 'diet', because once you put off the weight, you'll go back to old habits and pile it back on. You want to change your eating habits, and just be more healthy, period.
After you cook yourself dinner, why not go for a short walk around the block before getting on the computer? You'll have to moderate yourself here, but cooking your own meals can be surprisingly satisfying and delicious. If you don't have microwavable pizza/junk in the freezer, and instead have baby carrots/broccoli/soybeans/crackers and cheese, you'll be less likely to keep drowning yourself in grease.
Become aware of how many calories you are eating too. I find that simply being aware that having another [something] will add
500 calories to my intake makes me more likely to hold off, drink a glass of water, grab a few carrots and wait till dinner. I also know that if I want to have some cake, I hold off on other junk during the day, maybe eat a lighter lunch, and have some freaking cake.
Vegetables I actually like: POtatoes, Brocolli, lettuce.
Vegetables I can tolerate: Carrots, Cauliflower,
Vegetables I utterly despise (as in they make me ill): Onions, Peas, Corn (just the smell makes me nauseous), Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts.
Fruits: Zero. Honestly, I should suck it up though.
A lot of things it seems for me is texture based. For instance, I generally avoid soup, chilis and stews like the plague, I don't like how the flavors blend together and the texture that you get with boiled veggies just makes me ill. I have tried and I just can't do it. It's probably a phobia, but the look, smell, taste and texture of these foods makes my stomach turn. Same goes for a lot of fruit, I have eaten and enjoyed apples in the past though.
Things I absolutely love: Nuts. Almost all forms of nuts. Breads. Pastas. Meat, obviously. Seafood such as shellfish and freshwater fish, I could live off of that. Sushi, specifically sashimi and a few assorted rolls. Rice.
Oh, hey I'm making a game! Check it out: Dr. Weirdo!
If you can't learn to appreciate a reasonable range of fruits and vegetables, you're pretty much shooting yourself in the foot as far as establishing healthy eating habits for the rest of your life.
This is absolutely true. You should never really discount a dish because it has something you may not like in it. Different preparations and different flavor combinations can make a world of difference. Besides if you think you won't like it before you even try it you will probably be right.
Going to a dietitian may help you, but you've got to think about what kind of diet you can stick with and continue indefinitely. The same thing goes with a trainer. You have to find a form of exercise that you actually enjoy doing, otherwise you're likely to end up just quitting. I like jogging because I can just listen to podcast for the entire time.
I don't think this is really true of weight watchers. I'm using it at the moment, and I'm certainly not buying prepared meals - I'm just using it to help me be accountable for what I'm eating. It's given me a much better sense of the nutritional value of the food I eat - I do all my own cooking (mostly my own recipes, but they do have a really big database on their website). I find it easier than counting calories because the points values are easier for me to conceptualize.
I don't want to go on a big spiel about it but I don't think the OP should dismiss it out of hand. It can be a very valuable tool, and I certainly feel as though it's educating me and helping me to make better choices about what I'm eating.
OP, like other people have said, start small. Cooking your own food will be a huge improvement - take it one meal at a time. Is there a way you can get more structured exercise? I have found it really helpful to set aside some designated exercise time each day. Find some sort of exercise that you enjoy - I love to swim, so it's easy for me to motivate myself to go to the pool every morning.
Good luck! There is also a weightloss thread over in D&D which you may find helpful.
Well, part of this is you have to change your tastes. You are going to be used and, and going to want, the greasy fast food. As druhim said, keep trying out different methods of cooking until you find one you like. If you really like broccoli, have broccoli a lot, potatoes are not so great for you, but make a nice side dish, if you like lettuce, eat salad often.
I used to hate soup, but as I have gotten older my tastes have changed, they aren't as childish 'I want white bread and sugar always!'. If you don't like stews with boiled vegetables, that is perfectly fine. I am not a fan of mushy boiled foods either.
Fruits are 'good' for you, but vegetables are better, so no huge loss.
The biggest thing will be cutting out all fast food, and drinking a lot of water.
While I'm certainly not going to say you shouldn't eat salad, I would emphasize that you shouldn't just eat salad that's mostly iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing slathered on it. Be intelligent about how you make your salads. You can of course buy the bagged salad mixes, but personally I find the veggies just don't taste as good in the bagged salads. I'd rather buy a head of romaine or red/green leaf lettuce and make a salad from scratch with a variety of other veggies/fruits added in. Tastes better and you can add a broader range of fruits/vegetables. Learn to make your own vinaigrette from olive oil and you control what goes into it, as well as it being cheaper and often better tasting once you know what you're doing. It's not that hard. I make a tasty blue cheese vinaigrette from scratch that's better than most commercial dressings. You can also add canned tuna or roast chicken (again, learn to cook properly and roast that chicken yourself. it's surprisingly easy once you know how and much cheaper than buying a bag of processed chicken pieces as well as tasting better) for added protein.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=73381 was one of the biggest inspirations I had. While it may not be the exact solution you are looking for, give the first post a read for some guidelines of the direction you should be heading.
For starters, its soda.
Anyway, look at how many calories are in soda. Now compare that to your ideal total calorie intake for a day. See how big a percentage that is?
Kill the soda. Kill the coffee. If you need energy, eat some fruit. Drink a ton of water, more than you think you'll need. You'll gain a few pounds from the water (it's just your body being properly hydrated) but you'll lose that and more if you stop with the soda.
I used to drink 3 cans a day. I dont know how I ever did that.
You need to eat the right amount of calories in a day with out going over, but you can't eat too little either or you still won't lose.
http://loseit.com/
You'd be amazed how many calories are in some foods and I highly reccomend you use something like Lose It to keep track of your calorie budget.
using just this app and a bit more walking every day I've lost 30 lbs.
Also, depending on your actual BMI, you are, in fact, technically morbidly obese for your height, since your ideal body weight is half your actual weight.
I'd pretty much been stuck at 200lbs since leaving college and working full time. Just prior to my changes in diet/activity, my diet was pretty much:
Breakfast: Bowl of cereal/milk, large glass of OJ.
Lunch: Sandwich, granola bar
Dinner: Some form of chicken/fish/beef/pork, vegetable side, occasional desert, lightly sweetened tea (usually 8g of sugar)
Last May, I decided to make some strategic cuts to my diet, which resulted in the following changes:
Breakfast: 2 eggs fried over hard, half a slice of swiss cheese on top, small glass of OJ
Lunch: went from normal wheat bread to a whole wheat pita with ham and other half slice of swiss
Dinner: Mostly unchanged, went to entirely unsweetened tea.
All told, I cut about 100g of carbs out of my diet, and find myself feeling hungry less. I then began to implement some pretty basic body weight resistance exercises. In the morning I would do crunches. In the evening, I'd do reps of 10 squats/lunges/pushups, anywhere from 2-3 sets depending on how my joints are feeling.
I dropped 20lbs in about 50 days. The scale puts me just north or south of 180 now in the morning. I know I'll need to step up the activity if I want to push further. I just need to figure out some more exercises to add in. I'm tempted to add some running back in.
I lost 75lbs in 6 months with no exercise and little desire to cheat. You will not starve, you do not have to kill yourself exercising, and you will not have to juggle numbers in your head when you sit down for a meal (you can count carbs if you want to be ocd about it, but you don't have to)
Its safe, promotes vegetables and natural , wholesome foods like real cream and red meat, and is something you can do for the rest of your life fairly easily.
There are alot of resources out there nowadays, but the most popular way to start is by reading Dr. Atkins' book. Just don't indulge in the overpriced food that they try to sell you nowadays and you'll be fine.
If you are educated and want to be even more educated, especially about nutrition, and really really like scientific evidence for things that you do in your life, pick up Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. If you manage to finish it (its a pretty challenging book), you will not look at food the same way again. Ever.
Make intelligent and lasting lifestyle changes to how you cook, eat, and exercise.
Switch from White to Whole Wheat and you're making a big improvement in your diet. But don't think "Low Carb and I'm good!"
Do other things too.
The body can synthesize sugars when it needs it, and as such it does not work the way people think it does. What a low carb diet does is bore you to the point of eating less, and any diet that restricts fruit is absolutely ass-backward to me. If you want to be skinny, act like a skinny person. Do not eat fast food, don't sit around and take the easy way out of hard work, pick up an active hobby and get to enjoying it while you lose weight.
Crash diets don't work and at 300+ pounds you'd do a hell of a number on your heart losing a bunch of weight and gaining it back again.
They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
I know a bunch of people who drink 6-8 beers a night, eat ridiculously massive amounts of super-high-fat food every meal, don't ever go to the gym, and basically treat themselves like shit, and are skinny as shit.
I know a few people who eat super-awesome, never drink, and go to the gym every day, and are overweight.
Some people are just going to be a certain body type almost no matter what. For those that can adjust their body weight and be in shape if they try "Act like a skinny person" really isn't necessarily the best advice. If I acted like a couple of my skinny friends I'd be 100 pounds heavier.
If you want to be healthy, act healthy. For those that can gain and lose weight, diet and exercise is pretty much what everything boils down to. And you know what? I eat fast food every once in a while. I don't have an active hobby. But I do go to the gym because it fits in my lifestyle and I need it in my lifestyle. And I am very careful about what I eat because I need to be. But blindly going "ACT LIKE SKINNY PEOPLE" is as wrong as saying "JUST DON'T EAT BREAD"
The trick is to understand what you're putting in yourself. You know why low-carb diets seem to work? Because most of the carbs you eat are simple carbs, which the body pretty much instantly breaks down into fat. Complex carbs are broken down more slowly and give you energy in a slow release over time. Therefore, a lot of times if you look at fast food stuff, you're talking about a super, super, super simple bun, that's essentially instantly pure fat, red meat, which already is full of stuff you don't need so much, that is full of and slathered in grease and fat, which are are ridiculously simple and fattening, and then french fries which are basically potatoes(not bad) made as simple as possible with the deep frying. Then soda, which is pure empty calories.
If you want a simple, general, steadfast rule for good nutrition, it's this: White Meat, big breakfast(including eggs), complex carbs. Water. Ok you're good. But even that is more simple than it really is. Anything that can be summed up with one thing to do is probably wrong.
In life the only rule is that there is an exception to every rule.
Sure some people are unhealthy and skinny, while some people are healthy and fat, but the vast majority of the time, if someone's looking to lose weight, the most effective way is to change one's lifestyle to model that of a healthy person. If the lifestyle is enjoyable and includes hobbies that branch beyond sitting around, then the weight loss is more easily maintained. I suppose I should have said "healthy" instead of "skinny" but in this case, where the person in question is over 300 pounds, the two words are fairly synonymous.
They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
I hear phrases like "super fatty foods" in this thread and it makes me cringe. Fat isn't the enemy, and never has been.
I won't say more on the subject, I'll just recommend Taubes book of you want to know whats really going on among all the inevitable confusion.
I was always a fat guy myself, until about 3 years ago when I told myself I was going to lose weight. At the time I was 260 pounds. This was just one of the many times I had told myself that, but I resolved to stick with it. I made what at the time seemed drastic choices. Cut soda completely. Said goodbye to fast food restaurants. Started eating breakfast. Walked for 45 minutes a day.
I'm now at 172 and inching my way to my goal of 160 pounds. I had some ups and downs. Was stuck at 200 lbs, then at 180 lbs for the longest time. I gone back to soda (diet) but in moderation, same with fastfood every so often. But I still hit the gym everyday.
Cheesy as it sounds, think of it as a marathon, not a sprint. You're making lifestyle changes, so don't stress yourselff if you fall off the treadmill every so often.
And finally, we have a Weight Loss thread going in D&D. It's full of good people who are encouraging and have some good info when it comes to excercise and diet. I found that having people around me not only to support me, but also to be accountable really helped out.