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[beelzebozo]

It's hard. I have a kid and I live in a tiny upstairs apartment. Trying to get myself fed while taking care of him in the mornings is difficult enough as is.

you're not thinking creatively enough if you think there's not enough time to eat something in the morning. one evening when you've got fifteen minutes, cook a huge portion of something like oatmeal, wheatena, porridge, fruit salad, etc. and put it in the fridge. in the morning, all you have to do is whip it out and at the most heat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, add some milk, and bingo bango.

 

[SUPREME1]

I'm in a similiar situation:

31 yrs old (an old 31, lots of heavy drug use years ago)

Desk job

Chest discomfort

230lbs (6'2)

Diet is bad, not quite shitty as I eat home cooking a lot. But it's still not healthy. When I do eat shitty, it's fast food in big amounts, about 3 or 4 meals out of the week.

No excercise, lots of video games, watching sports, drinking beer.

Wife and I are trying to get pregnant, I'm scared I'll die young and they'll be left alone

Sometimes I feel as if all the heavy drugs I did a decade ago, are starting to catch up to me. Scared my heart isn't up for beating until I'm old.

 

[bengraven]

I have a 1-year old, a home gym, and work at a PC.

1) walk your kid daily
2) workout when the kid is asleep (<$500 for adjustable dumbbells and a bench)
3) take food to work (I go for apples, Fiber One w/ low carb milk, Soy Chips, soups, and protein shakes)

Otherwise you're going to die, and your kid will suffer.

I don't know what to say about this. Not that I don't disagree with you. Probably because I agree too much.

You don't want to diet. You want to change your lifestyle, a diet ends, you need to change what you eat from here on out. Walking is fine but you need to do real cardio, you need to get your heartbeat up and keep it up for a while.

That's exactly it. I know I need to make working out a part of my lifestyle. I guess I've lived the stereotypical "gamer" lifestyle so long it's hard to change.

See: I can't really do anything unless I'm extremely interested in it. I need more help; my wife is there, but she's so stressed out from being a stay at home mom and taking care of our kid all day (and let's not even mentioning her own problems with anxiety) and I have zero friends down here since I moved away 3 years ago. So I don't really have emotional support.

I'm kind of alone in this.

 

[RiskyChris]

It's hard. I have a kid and I live in a tiny upstairs apartment. Trying to get myself fed while taking care of him in the mornings is difficult enough as is.

None of your meals should really be that difficult or time-consuming to prepare (esp. considering they will be much smaller than "several sandwiches at dinner"). Can't spare a moment to throw PB on some toast or something?

 

[anovice]

The best advice I can give is to make small changes. They do add up. You have this problem due to constant excess. Fixing the problem isn't going to be fixed by another extreme.

It's easy to say and the most difficult thing for a human being to do; lifestyle changes.

Because it's overwhelming when you try to accomplish drastic changes, the best way to change behavior is to slowly modify your habits until they become routine.

Also, I know a lot of people are mentioning exercise. Diet is 80-90% - You can exercise like a madman, but unless you get control of such a big part, nothing will happen; in the long term.

Exercise is by all means important, but the only thing you should really be doing is moving more until you take yourself down. 1-2 pounds a week is safe and will allow the skin to bounce back more smoothly. Insert more exercise as you go.

That said, if you are truly addicted, you may need assistance from a psychologist. If you think you can buckle down, you could also hire a dietitian to help you learn how to eat healthy. They can plan out meals, etc.

One of the reasons people fall off healthy eating is that they have had such rotten food, they crave it. Once you get that "poison" out of you, you'll find that certain things in excess will actually make you ill and will cause you to lose appetite.

I stopped drinking soda and now I can't stand how sweet it is. That changes for everyone, though.

Lastly, while your stomach is decreasing in size, eat very small portions every couple of hours. You can also put fiber in water and keep up with lean meats, for protein.

This does two things:

1) Helps you curb cravings.

2) Keeps your metabolism burning, which burns fat.

If you do not keep up a good intake of protein and you do nothing to supplement the building of muscle, you will lose both fat and muscle. You want muscle to keep your furnace burning, brightly.

PS Plenty of good advice here. I wish you the best of luck.

PPS I once weighed 310 pounds (5'11") - I'm now at 160 and very well toned. This took from age 26 to age 28 to accomplish.

 

[Jangaroo]

Edit: I feel sort of bad for acting like a jerk. So I hope you manage to find the will power to get active .

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

I finally hooked up my scale to see how much I weighed, and almost cried at what I saw. I immediately signed up for a 24 hour gym down the road, and got 3 free personal trainer sessions. Since I can go later at night, and have a friend to go with, I will go.

I stopped drinking beer, and recently decided to cut alcohol out all together, and no more fast food.

 

[bengraven]

At 275 pounds, I doubt there is a ton he can do without gassing in two minutes. I think walking is a good place to start for him, then he can move onto doing some more intense work outs.

I think I'm going to start walking instead of sitting at my PC before bed. Not only will it help me sleep, but it's cooler (I live in Florida and spent the first 28 years of my life in freezing Minnesota).

Yeah don't think of it as a diet. Change everything. We barely have any bad food in the house now. The fridge is full of fruits, veggies, yogurt, granola, etc. Baked chips instead of regular. Low fat or skim milk. Low fat cheese. It's really not as hard as some make it out to be.

That works. I can usually start losing weight that way. A problem is that it gets expensive to keep that up, but it works.

Losing weight technically shouldn't be that hard. Just eat healthier and be active. It's easy to say something, but its a different story in regards to actually trying. So start being active, no matter how discouraging and discomforting it may be. Eat junk food in moderation. Don't give up, you gotta believe.

Thank you. Seriously.

 

[bengraven]

I'm in a similiar situation:

31 yrs old (an old 31, lots of heavy drug use years ago)

Desk job

Chest discomfort

230lbs (6'2)

Diet is bad, not quite shitty as I eat home cooking a lot. But it's still not healthy. When I do eat shitty, it's fast food in big amounts, about 3 or 4 meals out of the week.

No excercise, lots of video games, watching sports, drinking beer.

Wife and I are trying to get pregnant, I'm scared I'll die young and they'll be left alone

Sometimes I feel as if all the heavy drugs I did a decade ago, are starting to catch up to me. Scared my heart isn't up for beating until I'm old.

Our stories are very similar, I agree. If we lived closer to each other, we could be workout buddies. :/

 

[Brian Griffin]

1; Eat Less.
2; Move More.

This and willpower, pure and simple. Make it part of your morning routine to get some exercise. I work out while I watch TV, you could do the same while your son plays games or watches TV. You would be helping yourself as well as setting a great example for him. Getting a trainer at a gym would also help since you can't seem to make the changes you need to on your own.

 

[Ikuu]

Not sure if you can see this http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3112647&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 but I found looking at what other people were able to achieve has helped me stick to the changes I've made to my life.

 

[jmdajr]

You don't want to diet. You want to change your lifestyle, a diet ends, you need to change what you eat from here on out. Walking is fine but you need to do real cardio, you need to get your heartbeat up and keep it up for a while.

If you just drink water you'll probably cut a lot of crap from your diet.

Yup he's right. Diets are bullshit. You just need to eat healthy. Consume good food from all the food groups, and leave out the crap ones except for on occasion. Not only that, but of those food you do eat, eat them in reasonable portions.

That's how I live.

Might I ask how do the people you hang out with eat?. I know sometimes my friends used to say things if I ordered a salad or something like that, but fuck em, I didn't care if they thought it was sissy food. I understand it can be tough if those around you only like to eat poop.

Which brings me to my rant. Some women here around work just love to bake. They just can't wait to bring fried sugary shit to work. My theory is that they want to fatten up their co-workers so they don't feel so bad for being huge.

 

[bengraven]

Edit: I feel sort of bad for acting like a jerk. So I hope you manage to find the will power to get active .

It's okay. To be honest, I could have said that in my first post (the laziness part), but I didn't want that to be the focus of this thread. That's something I'm working with my psychiatrist about. It's linked in a way to my ADD. I would rather sit and stare at a wall for 20 minutes than work out.

 

[mollipen]

EA Sports Active

EA Sports Active is boring and doesn't really provide a good sense of motivation compared to what it could. I'm really amazed at how shitty the "exercise game" market is when you think about what it COULD be if real thought and effort was put into a project.

 

[beelzebozo]

EA Sports Active is boring and doesn't really provide a good sense of motivation compared to what it could. I'm really amazed at how shitty the "exercise game" market is when you think about what it COULD be if real thought and effort was put into a project.

i disagree completely. the cardio boxing alone makes it worthwhile. i recommend it wholeheartedly, especially if you do the custom workouts and tailor it to your personal tastes.

 

[Count Dookkake]

EA Sports Active is boring and doesn't really provide a good sense of motivation compared to what it could. I'm really amazed at how shitty the "exercise game" market is when you think about what it COULD be if real thought and effort was put into a project.

I like EA Sports Active, but what needs to be made is a fitness RPG.

And Wario Strong Man Fitness.

 

[bengraven]

The best advice I can give is to make small changes. They do add up. You have this problem due to constant excess. Fixing the problem isn't going to be fixed by another extreme.

It's easy to say and the most difficult thing for a human being to do; lifestyle changes.

Because it's overwhelming when you try to accomplish drastic changes, the best way to change behavior is to slowly modify your habits until they become routine.

Also, I know a lot of people are mentioning exercise. Diet is 80-90% - You can exercise like a madman, but unless you get control of such a big part, nothing will happen; in the long term.

Exercise is by all means important, but the only thing you should really be doing is moving more until you take yourself down. 1-2 pounds a week is safe and will allow the skin to bounce back more smoothly. Insert more exercise as you go.

That said, if you are truly addicted, you may need assistance from a psychologist. If you think you can buckle down, you could also hire a dietitian to help you learn how to eat healthy. They can plan out meals, etc.

One of the reasons people fall off healthy eating is that they have had such rotten food, they crave it. Once you get that "poison" out of you, you'll find that certain things in excess will actually make you ill and will cause you to lose appetite.

I stopped drinking soda and now I can't stand how sweet it is. That changes for everyone, though.

Lastly, while your stomach is decreasing in size, eat very small portions every couple of hours. You can also put fiber in water and keep up with lean meats, for protein.

This does two things:

1) Helps you curb cravings.

2) Keeps your metabolism burning, which burns fat.

If you do not keep up a good intake of protein and you do nothing to supplement the building of muscle, you will lose both fat and muscle. You want muscle to keep your furnace burning, brightly.

PS Plenty of good advice here. I wish you the best of luck.

PPS I once weighed 310 pounds (5'11") - I'm now at 160 and very well toned. This took from age 26 to age 28 to accomplish.

Awesome advice and the last line killed me man. I was a big kid all my life and when I turned 19 I went on a very unhealthy, but active diet and exercise routine. I remember being down to 155 (from 280) and it was like an entirely different world. I was happy, girls liked me, people in high school who wouldn't talk to me were suddenly hitting on me in college, I LOVED running. I loved the free feeling.

God, I grew up in rural Minnesota and I used to hate the countryside. When I lost all that weight, I was living on the city limits. I started walking out along the highway and then onto dirt roads. I would get completely lost, sometimes 15 miles from home in the middle of nowhere.

There I was, skinny, staring at my own reflection in a stream between two fields. Kind of a ridiculous moment to remember, but it was one of the happier moments of my life.

 

[slider]

I won't go into the psychological issues - cos frankly they're probably beyond me. But here's a couple of ideas and comments from the top of my head. Probably already been said but reinforcement never hurt.

1) If you're an animal kind of person... get a dog! Get woken at 7/8 and not at work til 2? Plenty of time to take the mut for a walk. Get a football (as in soccer), take it to the park and kick the ball around with doggy chasing it. Heck, if you can manage this with your kid in a pram all the better.

2) It's tough for your body when it's relied on shit as an energy source. When you do try to eat healthy your body will crave those old foods - you might feel drained and listless without that naughty fat to keep you going. I've neveer been massively outta shape but when I got myself back into fighting shape I had a 2/3 week period where my body was getting used to using healthy stuff as it's staple diet. I was craving a takeaway. But I got over it. Then when I did have a burger (after a month of snacking on celery and tomatoes) I actually felt replused by the fatty-ness.

3) Don't use food as a comforter. You know yourself better than anyone here. Whatever the issues... deal with it. I often say that if the thinking can't change the behaviour... force the behaviour and it'll change the thinking. Look at it like a battle and don't let yourself lose. For your family's sake if not your own.

Good luck man. Hope the thread's given you a kick up the backside.

 

[dinazimmerman]

If you can't stop snacking, at least snack on some healthy foods. They'll satisfy the urge to eat without making you too much fatter. Pack them before going to work so you aren't tempted to buy junk food on the way or once you're there. Just a suggestion.

 

[bengraven]

Not sure if you can see this http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3112647&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 but I found looking at what other people were able to achieve has helped me stick to the changes I've made to my life.

I'll have to check this out at home. Goons are probably NSFW.

The GAFfer thread was a humongous inspiration for a weight loss earlier this year and I still go to it sometimes. I'm reading it now again in fact. Thanks for the link!

 

[fistfulofmetal]

theoretically, i could probably go for a good lifestyle change. unfortunately i'm not really motivated and right now my life is pretty comfy. good job, no money troubles, very little responsibilities.
i don't really eat much. lunch (two sandwiches) at noon, a dinner that can consist of various frozen meals that i throw in the oven.
i barely ever drink pop. almost exclusively water.

i just don't do anything active. i go to work then come home and stay in the house until the next day when i go to work.

biggest problem is that i really don't care. like i said. i have nothing motivating me.

 

[beelzebozo]

If you can't stop snacking, at least snack on some healthy foods. They'll satisfy the urge to eat without making you too much fatter. Pack them before going to work so you aren't tempted to buy junk food on the way or once you're there. Just a suggestion.

popcorn. ultimate healthy snack imo. a huge fiber load, and nice and salty and delicious. just be sure to get the 94% fat free stuff and you're golden.

 

[bengraven]

EA Sports Active is boring and doesn't really provide a good sense of motivation compared to what it could. I'm really amazed at how shitty the "exercise game" market is when you think about what it COULD be if real thought and effort was put into a project.

Fallout Natal/Saggle would be awesome. I couldn't even come up with a decent excuse not to play. After finishing the main quest and all the sidequests my character would be level 30, fully geared and I would be 20-30 pounds smaller.

 

[jmdajr]

theoretically, i could probably go for a good lifestyle change. unfortunately i'm not really motivated and right now my life is pretty comfy. good job, no money troubles, very little responsibilities.
i don't really eat much. lunch (two sandwiches) at noon, a dinner that can consist of various frozen meals that i throw in the oven.
i barely ever drink pop. almost exclusively water.

i just don't do anything active. i go to work then come home and stay in the house until the next day when i go to work.

biggest problem is that i really don't care. like i said. i have nothing motivating me.

you need a call form natalie...

 

[Zzoram]

The best way to change your diet and get exercise is to have a partner or group. The idea is that when you are lazy, someone else will be there to drag you along.

 

[bengraven]

I won't go into the psychological issues - cos frankly they're probably beyond me. But here's a couple of ideas and comments from the top of my head. Probably already been said but reinforcement never hurt.

1) If you're an animal kind of person... get a dog! Get woken at 7/8 and not at work til 2? Plenty of time to take the mut for a walk. Get a football (as in soccer), take it to the park and kick the ball around with doggy chasing it. Heck, if you can manage this with your kid in a pram all the better.

3) Don't use food as a comforter. You know yourself better than anyone here. Whatever the issues... deal with it. I often say that if the thinking can't change the behaviour... force the behaviour and it'll change the thinking. Look at it like a battle and don't let yourself lose. For your family's sake if not your own.

Good luck man. Hope the thread's given you a kick up the backside.

1) I wish we could get a dog, but we live in a small apartment. We're looking at houses and if so, we would get a dog in a heartbeat and it's an option.

For now, I need to get the stroller from my inlaws and maybe start "walking the kid".

2) I don't really use food as a comforter. If I'm bored, I eat. I can sit and read or watch a movie and just eat. It's almost automatic. Or game and eat. This is the worst and how it started: sitting in front of WoW for 12 hours a day, eating the worst shit on the planet.

(I have since stopped the WoW habit)

 

[AVclub]

This is going to sound really dumb, but it helped me drop 20 pounds last year fairly effortlessly:

Find two times a day where you can take five or ten minutes to be alone. In my case I did it once when I first woke up and once when I locked my self in an empty office or board room at work. What you need to do is get down on the floor and try to do as many situps or pushups as you can. The old fashioned way.

It will make you feel like a fat fuck at first but it doesn't matter. Nobody will be around. You'll hurt a bit from some strenuous activity and be reminded about how out of shape you are each time you do it. But it will also get a tiny bit easier each time. Do more and more as time goes on, within that 5 or 10 minutes. Have something to wipe off your sweaty face if you're doing it at work.

This was really a bullshit, half-attempt at improving myself and it work really well because it was non-intrusive, motivational, and burned a few calories. Nothing like being reminded that you can't sit up ten times to make you suddenly not want that giant sub for lunch.

Try it for a week. If it's working for you, keep at it.

 

[jmdajr]

The best way to change your diet and get exercise is to have a partner or group. The idea is that when you are lazy, someone else will be there to drag you along.

Yes, like I was asking earlier. What kind of people do you hang around with? Do any of them life a remotely healthy life style?

 

[bengraven]

popcorn. ultimate healthy snack imo. a huge fiber load, and nice and salty and delicious. just be sure to get the 94% fat free stuff and you're golden.

I like popcorn a lot, but I was under the impression it wasn't as healthy as they say?

theoretically, i could probably go for a good lifestyle change. unfortunately i'm not really motivated and right now my life is pretty comfy. good job, no money troubles, very little responsibilities.
i don't really eat much. lunch (two sandwiches) at noon, a dinner that can consist of various frozen meals that i throw in the oven.
i barely ever drink pop. almost exclusively water.

i just don't do anything active. i go to work then come home and stay in the house until the next day when i go to work.

biggest problem is that i really don't care. like i said. i have nothing motivating me.

I'm basically in the exact same situation as you, mentally and habitually, though I have a lot of responsibility with my family. I'm trying to care more, because I DO have things that motivate me. Part of me thinks I'm just kind of waiting for something horrible to motivate me further.

Like a fucking heart attack or something.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Don't even bother with exercise yet. Exercise won't mean much if you're still eating crap. Start with adjusting your diet. And, if it's hard, adjust it slowly.

My suggestion is to put both food and exercise aside, and just focus on one thing: drinking water. Just replace anything that's not milk or juice in your fluid intake with water, and then add a couple of bottles in every now and then.

It seems like every person I know who has a weight problem does so because they don't drink enough water. Yeah, I know it's not the entire reason you're overweight (that much is obvious), but it helped me a lot when I lost 40 pounds between 2005 and 2007.

Like some have said, it's baby steps. Take it one step at a time. Start by switching to water. Then slowly begin to lay off the junk food (or even just moderate. Let yourself indulge once a week). Then start taking walks every day, just to get your system going. Then ease into a more vigorous routine once you're comfortable. But really, just taking walks will do you some good. Don't be pressured into going to the gym until you've already lost some of the weight.

Weight doesn't come off fast. It'll take a long time to get the results you want, but the secret to it is really just easing into new lifestyle choices and having the patience to get through it.

 

[beelzebozo]

I like popcorn a lot, but I was under the impression it wasn't as healthy as they say?

i buy the 94% fat free orville redenbacher, which has about 240 calories for a bag of popcorn and 10+ grams of fiber. i can't emphasize enough how filling this is, and a 240 calorie snack will not make or break your diet if you're desperate. plus, it just takes a long ass time to eat a bag of popcorn, so you keep your hands and mouth busy.

 

[fistfulofmetal]

whats funny is that we own one of those bowflex machines. it's pretty cool and does a lot.
it would be really easy for me to do it for 15 minutes after work. like super easy.

but again. i don't care enough to keep at it.

 

[bengraven]

Yes, like I was asking earlier. What kind of people do you hang around with? Do any of them life a remotely healthy life style?

I don't really. I moved down here 3 years ago and other than my wife and her friends and family, I have no one else. And they're all skinny. I'm literally the only fat person in the family.

But let's be honest, there's lots of southern food when I'm around them: ribs and corn bread made with bacon fat, collard greens that have sat in butter and a ham bone for hours, etc.

This is going to sound really dumb, but it helped me drop 20 pounds last year fairly effortlessly:

Find two times a day where you can take five or ten minutes to be alone. In my case I did it once when I first woke up and once when I locked my self in an empty office or board room at work. What you need to do is get down on the floor and try to do as many situps or pushups as you can. The old fashioned way.

It will make you feel like a fat fuck at first but it doesn't matter. Nobody will be around. You'll hurt a bit from some strenuous activity and be reminded about how out of shape you are each time you do it. But it will also get a tiny bit easier each time. Do more and more as time goes on, within that 5 or 10 minutes. Have something to wipe off your sweaty face if you're doing it at work.

This was really a bullshit, half-attempt at improving myself and it work really well because it was non-intrusive, motivational, and burned a few calories. Nothing like being reminded that you can't sit up ten times to make you suddenly not want that giant sub for lunch.

Try it for a week. If it's working for you, keep at it.

I tried doing this several, several times in life, but I could never commit. That was a problem. Eventually after a few days or a week, I would just forget about it. Part of the ADD thing.

 

[dLMN8R]

A few tips that have helped me out substantially over the last year:

-I watch a lot of TV. Forced myself to put an hour of TV on my iPhone and watch it while using the elliptical (or something similar) at the gym instead of sitting on my ass doing nothing while watching it at home.

-Snacking leads to more snacking. The more I eat, the more I want to eat. I can go for weeks, perfectly happy without snacking between meals, then during one meeting at work, or one lapse elsewhere, I get some candy from a vending machine or somesuch, suddenly I'm not so happy between meals. A little here, a little more there, and suddenly I realize I'm snacking like crazy.

-Diet beverages with 0 calories still count as "snacking" to me. The sweet flavor makes me crave more food, more snacks. Drink a ton of water, cut out even the Diet Coke if you like drinking that.

i buy the 94% fat free orville redenbacher, which has about 240 calories for a bag of popcorn and 10+ grams of fiber. i can't emphasize enough how filling this is, and a 240 calorie snack will not make or break your diet if you're desperate. plus, it just takes a long ass time to eat a bag of popcorn, so you keep your hands and mouth busy.

Yeah, this is some good stuff, but keep in mind that there's a lot of sodium in there. That sodium can be just as harmful as the rest for someone with a fairly inactive lifestyle.

 

[tenritsu]

At the beginning of this year, I was 175. I'm 5'6. That was absolutely horrific enough for me.

Want to know what the most embarrassing thing to do is? Stand in front of the mirror and just jump up and down. Seeing all that fat was the worst thing I ever did.

I've lost 30 pounds in the past 6 months, and I don't plan on stopping till I reach the level of fitness I think I can. I've never felt this fit physically.

We often confuse comfort for happiness. I mean, sure Krispy Kremes are comforting food, but how the hell is it making you happy in the long run? On the other hand, 10 pushups will make you feel like shit, but then the testosterone starts pumping in and you feel amazing. It hurt in the short run, but damn will it make you happy in the long run.

I agree, don't go on a diet. All the attempts I've had to count my calories resulted in failure. My advice is to get a fairly cheap pedometer and set a goal for X certain amount of steps a day. I swear, it's like a game. It's maddening if I don't reach 10,000 :lol

Also, what's up with your fiancee being so against a gym membership? If it means so much to you and she can't understand it then there is something you definitely need to talk about. This is your fucking health man. For the doctors and your fiancee it's an issue, but for your it's a matter between living longer or dying early.

EDIT: another tip that doesn't quite work for me but might for others: Brush your teeth or use mouthwash right after a meal.

 

[anovice]

i have nothing motivating me.

This line is really important. Not in regards to what you said, Fist, but if anyone wants to make a lifestyle change, always remember the only *constant* motivator is yourself.

You have to be your own enabler; your own cheerleader.

To constantly and truly feel this way is one of the most difficult things to do in this life.

Everything and everyone else will just further support a strong foundation only the individual can lay down.

To the OP: I hear you man. It's almost exactly the same path and it killed me. When you are so down on yourself (the weight did it to me), digging out of that hole, by removing something that is so easy and gives an instant lift, is seemingly impossible to do; vicious cycle and what not. If you are looking for more detailed suggestions, I would be more than happy to help. /pm

Again, best of luck! Pre-/hi5!

 

[Davey Cakes]

i buy the 94% fat free orville redenbacher, which has about 240 calories for a bag of popcorn and 10+ grams of fiber. i can't emphasize enough how filling this is, and a 240 calorie snack will not make or break your diet if you're desperate. plus, it just takes a long ass time to eat a bag of popcorn, so you keep your hands and mouth busy.

Honestly, nowadays I just prefer the natural white stuff, with just a touch of salt. Adding in any sort of fat content is overkill when it comes to popcorn, in my opinion.

 

[industrian]

The first time I tried to lose weight about two months in I broke my foot while running. My advice is don't break your foot.

You know, when they tell you to "break a leg" you're not supposed to take it seriously.

Eating several small meals throughout the day is much better for you than three large meals.

Correct. Not only does it eliminate hunger, but it also makes your appetite smaller. Try to eat a small meal every 3 hours.

 

[Solaros]

I actually only drink diet soda, ironically enough. I have for the last ten years.

Diet shit is still shit.

SapientWolf has it right.

1. No more soda, but if you like the flavoring try various falvors of tea.
2. Start this running program.
3. Start making as many meals as you can on your own, while eating out less and less.

Small steps are the key, or you will burn yourself out.

Just like your taste buds learned to hate regular soda, they will eventually lose their taste for shitty food unless you are intoxicated.

 

[bengraven]

A few tips that have helped me out substantially over the last year:

-I watch a lot of TV. Forced myself to put an hour of TV on my iPhone and watch it while using the elliptical (or something similar) at the gym instead of sitting on my ass doing nothing while watching it at home.

-Snacking leads to more snacking. The more I eat, the more I want to eat. I can go for weeks, perfectly happy without snacking between meals, then during one meeting at work, or one lapse elsewhere, I get some candy from a vending machine or somesuch, suddenly I'm not so happy between meals. A little here, a little more there, and suddenly I realize I'm snacking like crazy.

-Diet beverages with 0 calories still count as "snacking" to me. The sweet flavor makes me crave more food, more snacks. Drink a ton of water, cut out even the Diet Coke if you like drinking that.

- I don't watch TV, but since getting my new PC in Feb, I have been buying and playing quite a few games. I have probably 20 games on my Objectdock, something like 5-700 dollars worth of software (queue the willpower thing) and I've been catching up on gaming on my beautiful new rig.

That said, I've also found my old love of reading again and would definitely do your advice if I could afford a gym membership. I would love to read a book and cycle or put on a podcast and use an elliptical.

- you're right, I need to cut snacking out period. I need to PLAN my meals.

- I was going to ask the posters about this. What do other people think?

Edit: nevermind, here's my answer.

Diet shit is still shit.

SapientWolf has it right.

1. No more soda, but if you like the flavoring try various falvors of tea.
2. Start this running program.
3. Start making as many meals as you can on your own, while eating out less and less.

Small steps are the key, or you will burn yourself out.

Just like your taste buds learned to hate regular soda, they will eventually lose their taste for shitty food unless you are intoxicated.

Thanks.

 

[jmdajr]

I don't really. I moved down here 3 years ago and other than my wife and her friends and family, I have no one else. And they're all skinny. I'm literally the only fat person in the family.

But let's be honest, there's lots of southern food when I'm around them: ribs and corn bread made with bacon fat, collard greens that have sat in butter and a ham bone for hours, etc.



I tried doing this several, several times in life, but I could never commit. That was a problem. Eventually after a few days or a week, I would just forget about it. Part of the ADD thing.

yeah that's tough

 

[shuri]

I was an energry drink junkie until very recently. I completly cut that shit out of my system, and i feel much better. I would drink 2 cans a day before.

And..it saves lots of money over time.

 

[slider]

1) I wish we could get a dog, but we live in a small apartment. We're looking at houses and if so, we would get a dog in a heartbeat and it's an option.

For now, I need to get the stroller from my inlaws and maybe start "walking the kid".

2) I don't really use food as a comforter. If I'm bored, I eat. I can sit and read or watch a movie and just eat. It's almost automatic. Or game and eat. This is the worst and how it started: sitting in front of WoW for 12 hours a day, eating the worst shit on the planet.

(I have since stopped the WoW habit)

Paying attention ftw... :|

Ahh, eating through boredom. I see. To make my earlier post seem a little relevant I'll think to myself "the eating is comforting your boredom..." Not that it helps any.

Humans are creatures of habit. Change things up. Who does the weekly shop? Not sure if you snack on "bad" stuff but if it's not in the apartment...

I guess your activities have gotto be in the morning as it's unrealistic to do things after work. So take your book down to the park. I have no kids but one of the things I used to think about when I was younger was younger was playing sport with my kids.

I think the key is absolutely making the decision within yourself. With your wife's support starting the process shouldn't be too big an issue (I hope). Having a training partner/weightloss body could be a great help - simple competitiveness!

Anyway, as before... good luck.

 

[ahoyhoy]

I LOVE eating 4-5 small meals a day. Not only does it fill me up more effectively, it doesn't leave me feeling bloated and sleepy like a normal meal would.

 

[mollipen]

i disagree completely. the cardio boxing alone makes it worthwhile. i recommend it wholeheartedly, especially if you do the custom workouts and tailor it to your personal tastes.

The problem with it, and so much other stuff, is that the intent is to replicate working out - something completely pointless so far as I'm concerned. If I was the type of person who enjoys working out, I'd go do it for real. But, I HATE the idea of working out. I find it boring, and I quickly lose interest no matter how many different way I've tried it. If going to a gym holds no interest for me, so why would I want a video game to let me pretend like I'm doing that?

A video game console with one (or more) devices that allow for some sort of real physical activity to be combined with gaming holds so much possibility, but nothing is being done with it. As was just mentioned, why not an RPG? Let the calories that I've burned be my XP. Maybe the entire game is played via exercise, or maybe me XP grinding is done that way. Even more basic, though, give me way in which my effort can result in in-game progress - not just the physical progress I may be gaining. Maybe a pseudo Animal Crossing, where the more I put into getting exercise via the game the more is unlocked and possible for me. Or take the idea behind EA Sports Active and instead wrap it in a Wario Ware-type environment. Instead of running in place, and just watching my stupid avatar run around a track, have it be an on-screen character running away from danger.

I think Wii Sports had the right idea initially, but was then crippled by not only not offering enough in the way of understandable progress, but also in the game having nowhere near enough game types to play.

BE CREATIVE! That's what I'm saying. The best results I've ever had with getting exercise via a game was DDR, because it was a game where the face that I'm being active wasn't shoved it my face. It was a game first and foremost, one that then happened to be played by my activity.

 

[bengraven]

At the beginning of this year, I was 175. I'm 5'6. That was absolutely horrific enough for me.

Want to know what the most embarrassing thing to do is? Stand in front of the mirror and just jump up and down. Seeing all that fat was the worst thing I ever did.

I've lost 30 pounds in the past 6 months, and I don't plan on stopping till I reach the level of fitness I think I can. I've never felt this fit physically.

We often confuse comfort for happiness. I mean, sure Krispy Kremes are comforting food, but how the hell is it making you happy in the long run? On the other hand, 10 pushups will make you feel like shit, but then the testosterone starts pumping in and you feel amazing. It hurt in the short run, but damn will it make you happy in the long run.

I agree, don't go on a diet. All the attempts I've had to count my calories resulted in failure. My advice is to get a fairly cheap pedometer and set a goal for X certain amount of steps a day. I swear, it's like a game. It's maddening if I don't reach 10,000 :lol

Also, what's up with your fiancee being so against a gym membership? If it means so much to you and she can't understand it then there is something you definitely need to talk about. This is your fucking health man. For the doctors and your fiancee it's an issue, but for your it's a matter between living longer or dying early.

EDIT: another tip that doesn't quite work for me but might for others: Brush your teeth or use mouthwash right after a meal.

I tried doing CalorieCount.com and it was working well, but I started having bad days and not wanting to record them, or not being able to find foods and having to improvise them, which led to skipping some, which lead to not adding certain bad ones, you get the drift.

On your first note, I'm afraid of mirrors because I hate seeing the fat. I refuse to let myself get photographed, which is really hurtful to my fiancee because I don't like even taking pics of us together.

 

[tenritsu]

Planning meals seems like a bad idea to me.

Why?

Well, what happens when you stop planning or get lazy to? If you're anything like me, you'll fall back and eat whatever the shit you want. Then you're back to the fat cycle.

EDIT: Yea, see? Calorie counting doesn't work for most people.

No, I really think you need to take a good look at yourself in the mirror. You're mind is afraid, but you aren't visualizing it. Trust me, it is horrific, but you have to do it. If you are really serious about losing this weight. Suck it up and look at yourself.

 

[slider]

I LOVE eating 4-5 small meals a day. Not only does it fill me up more effectively, it doesn't leave me feeling bloated and sleepy like a normal meal would.

A minor effect... but it also raises your metabolism. Drinking uber-cold water as opposed to room temp water, over the course of a week, also uses more calories!

 

[bengraven]

White whale.

(that's purposely the cheesiest face I could make...I was trying to do the Michael Cera photo bomb thing)

 

[DemiMatt]

willpower

get some

basically this.