Hey everybody,

I guess this is the right forum for newbies. That certainly describes me because I have never been on any kind of diet in my life.

I weighed myself today for the first time in ten years. Ten years ago I was 175, now I am up to 265. I know, not the MOST drastic weight gain story ever told, but I was still pretty shocked at what I saw on that scale. Over the years I knew I had gained some weight but always thought I was in the 220-pound range. How wrong I was! :eek:

So - the exercise part of it. I have joined my local gym and have had a routine tailored for me. Right now I just want to make a commitment to get in there at least 5 days a week. It is a good combo of weight training and cardio.

I am more looking for help with the diet. This is where I'd like to get some input and opinions from you guys.

First of all, I'll describe my eating habits. I eat out a lot - it definately appeals to my "convenience" way of living. I know I need to change this and am willing to. I also often eat past that "full" feeling. :nono:

I do not eat meat of any kind, but do consume eggs and dairy.

One more thing - I actually prefer routine over variety. If I can come up with a set menu I can rely on, I will be less likely to deviate.

HOW and WHAT can I do to get my eating right to start dropping that flab??!?!?!?!

Hey there formerself,

Welcome and congratulations on making the best decision of your life. :tucool:

The best approach for you would be to read the stickies at the top of the forums and do a search here for cutting diet or something similar. That should get you a bunch of info to read and then try to throw something together and let us review it for you.

A few things to keep in mind...

- Try to eat 6 to 7 small meals a day
- Balance each meal with some carbohydrates, fats and protein
- Eat plenty of fruit, veg and wholegrain carbs
- Cut out all refined foods, white bread, sugar, fast foods etc
- Drink water (this is the single most effective supplement for body improvements)

Let us know how what you come up with.

Hi Jokat,

Thanks for your reply - I hadn't even noticed the stickies up the top there! Still trying to get used to the layout of the forum - I'll have a good read of those.

Thanks for those general tips as well - all duly noted!

I'll see how I go with putting something together.

Hi Jokat,

Thanks for your reply - I hadn't even noticed the stickies up the top there! Still trying to get used to the layout of the forum - I'll have a good read of those.

Thanks for those general tips as well - all duly noted!

I'll see how I go with putting something together.

Didn't notice clothes getting tight? Anyway, what is your height, weight, and age? Get activie, walk dog, wife or GF. Take stairs rather than elevators. don't watch TV or be on computer more than a total of 3 hours a day. move! we will get you on :bb: soon.

Replace all sodas with water. Don't eat or order out any fried food. Ditch fast food completely. Eat five or six meals a day. Fasted LISS in the mornings is great combined with weight lifting later in the day.

Congrats and welcome and keep us posted with your progress.

Replace all sodas with water. Don't eat or order out any fried food. Ditch fast food completely. Eat five or six meals a day. Fasted LISS in the mornings is great combined with weight lifting later in the day.

Congrats and welcome and keep us posted with your progress.

I agree. I would also advocate the seperation of carbs/fats in your approach, and would not balance each meal with carbs/fats/protein.
For an ideal body composition change for the better (losing pure fat and preserving lean mass) this is a fool-proof way to do so. I'm all about the quickest way from point A to point B.

~SC~

Didn't notice clothes getting tight? Anyway, what is your height, weight, and age? Get activie, walk dog, wife or GF. Take stairs rather than elevators. don't watch TV or be on computer more than a total of 3 hours a day. move! we will get you on :bb: soon.

haha - yeah of course I noticed clothes getting tight - since I buy new clothes quite regularly I just bought clothes that fit me and shoved the tight-fitting clothes at the back of the cupboard somewhere. It'd be great to be able to wear those again and have them hang loose! haha.

Okay I am:

- 6'3
- 265 pounds
- 27 years old.

Thanks for those suggestions - I've already made the move to park in a free parking lot that is a 1.5 mile walk away - so I burn some cals AND save $6 a day - not a bad deal. :tucool:

Replace all sodas with water. Don't eat or order out any fried food. Ditch fast food completely. Eat five or six meals a day. Fasted LISS in the mornings is great combined with weight lifting later in the day.

Congrats and welcome and keep us posted with your progress.

Hi carguy, thanks for the welcome! :tucool:

Honestly, the fast/fried food thing will be the hardest bit for me. How do you guys go with meal preparation? I'm sure I'm not the only one who leads a busy life - I just really need to set aside the time to do it properly. :D

I agree. I would also advocate the seperation of carbs/fats in your approach, and would not balance each meal with carbs/fats/protein.
For an ideal body composition change for the better (losing pure fat and preserving lean mass) this is a fool-proof way to do so. I'm all about the quickest way from point A to point B.

~SC~

Thanks for the advice SwoleCat - I'm the same way about getting from A to B the quickest way, so I'll take that advice! :cool:

Hi carguy, thanks for the welcome! :tucool:

Honestly, the fast/fried food thing will be the hardest bit for me. How do you guys go with meal preparation? I'm sure I'm not the only one who leads a busy life - I just really need to set aside the time to do it properly. :D

I wouldn't drive myself crazy trying to make all these changes at once that you get offered in this thread. I think the extra walking is a great idea. Obviously weight training is another one.

Most people struggle with the diet changes and I think it is important to ease into it a little bit at a time to make the changes last a lifetime. If giving up fast food seems impossible now than do something simple and manageable for you this week and something else next week. Keep making simple and small positive changes every week.

You are off to a great start!

I wouldn't drive myself crazy trying to make all these changes at once that you get offered in this thread. I think the extra walking is a great idea. Obviously weight training is another one.

Most people struggle with the diet changes and I think it is important to ease into it a little bit at a time to make the changes last a lifetime. If giving up fast food seems impossible now than do something simple and manageable for you this week and something else next week. Keep making simple and small positive changes every week.

You are off to a great start!

Of course, excellent advice indeed. I was not advocating jumping in feet head first at all. I agree that you need to take it easy because you want this to last you a lifetime. I just get carried away with advice because I get excited when I have the opportunity to share my experience with someone. :lol::lol:

Take it one step at a time. I started off by simply eating less of what I was eating at the time. Smaller plate, smaller portions. Slowly, as I read and learned I began to implement the concept I learned. Of course there is so much knowledge out there and so many different opinions that its easy to get lost in it all. Paralysis by analysis is what I suffered from but then I realised that I had to keep it as simple as possible if I was going to succeed.

As was mentioned we all have busy lives (its a side effect of modern living) but there are ways of making things easier and simpler. Here are some of the things I have done to this end...

- I prepare rice and chicken on a Sunday to last me one week.
- I dont freeze it but I keep it in the back of the fridge at the coldest spot
- I prepare the chicken by either grilling it in the oven or dicing into largish cubes and cooking on the stove in a little lemon juice, soy sauce and herbs/spices
- I use canned Canadian Pink Salmon quite a bit (its quick and easy)
- I buy fresh fruit and veg twice a week from the market
- I eat the same meals every day (this is not for everyone but is probably the biggest time saver and simplifier I have implemented)
- I use whey for two meals a day (great time saver)
- I eat oats raw twice a day and cooked once a day
- I put more effort into my meals on the weekends when I have the time which breaks the monotony of eating the same thing everyday during the week

Week Day meal plan (I am bulking at the moment)

Meal 1: 6:30am (post workout)

1 Cup Oats (Measured raw) cooked
1/4 Cup Raisins
230 grams Liquid egg whites

Meal 2: 9:30am

1 Cup Oats (Raw)
1 Scoop Whey
1 Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tomato
1 Apple

Meal 3: 12:30pm

2 Cups Spinach Salad
130 grams chicken breast
1 cup brown rice
1 Tbsp Flaxseed oil

Meal 4: 3:30pm

1 Cup oats (raw)
1 Scoop Whey
1 Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tomato
1 apple

Meal 5: 6:30pm

1 Cup Veggies
150 gram Pink Salmon
1 Cup Brown Rice
1 Tbsp Flaxseed oil

Meal 6: 9:30pm

1 Scoop Whey
1 Scoop Milk Powder
1 Tbsp Peanut butter
Mixed with a tiny bit of water to make a paste kinda pudding and served chilled

BED!!!

This is followed every week day and most weekend days with variations at weekend dinners only.

Once again.. the best advice I can offer you is Keep it Simple, especially if you have no time.

Heh, I'm 6'0" and went from 130 - 270 in a 3 year span, talk about drastic weight changes.

But over the course of the last three months I've went from 270 - 245 just from cutting the crap out of my diet, i.e. snacks, fast food, soda, etc.

Been running everyday, been watching my calories and what I eat, and been eating more fruits/veggies than previously; overall I feel and look better and am looking forward to many further results.

Best of luck to you bro, I'm in the same boat.

Okay I am:

- 6'3
- 265 pounds
- 27 years old.

Thanks for those suggestions - I've already made the move to park in a free parking lot that is a 1.5 mile walk away - so I burn some cals AND save $6 a day - not a bad deal. :tucool:

OK using BMR as an estimate and assuming you will start a weight training program of moderate activity. your BMR is 2486 and using a 1.55 activity level, 2486 X 1.55 = 3853 calories. You would eat that each day to stay the same weight and worked out. But you need to lose so to lose at 2 lbs a week we subtract 1000 calories and it leaves us with an estimate of 2853 to lose 2 lbs a week, that is alot of food but remember we are going to have you exercising. go here (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/)if you want to compute your own.

I got one! Why not set on your ass and not workout. For that you use 1.2 factor. 2486 X 1.2 =2983 calories you can stand still, but to lose 2lbs it is 1983 calories you would eat. Hey, that not so many calories. Well at least you weigh a lot and get that many calories.

Sure these figures are just estimates but they are pretty good ones. The amount you can eat and lose weight will change as your weight changes and activity changes. We don't change our age or height that often.

How much are you eating now? how much exercise?

Welcome to the forum formerself,

I wish you all the best as you come forth to accomplish your goals. You will find excellent help here and all the information provided here is extremely knowledgeable. Your time is now, good luck bro'!

-Dan

This is the right place... I dont even wanna call it forum.. Man this site changed my life...This site ignite everything in me....Education and knowledge is #1 You are find compared with me... I was 275 on 8/2006... now I'm ar 217 lbs...

If you can act by pure faith then great: follow everything people are going to tell you here and its going to work. If you cannot act by "faith", and this is my case... then research, research, and research, read books, ask people, ask doctors, read wikipedia... and when you have some base... you will end doing anyway what people say here ;-)

Still if the amount of information is overwhelming and too much....my recommendation is talk to SwoleCat.. he can help you! I can tell you that his are going to be the best spent money of your life.

Hey SwoleCat.. my bi-weekly pics are due in days...and I am
~216/218 ;-) <== if you dont remember I was the one that told you f*** ;-)

Hey Man,

Good luck to ya. I am just about the same size and age as you are, but a bit shorter (5' 9.5") Take your time and eaze into it, and oh yeah, and


:gl:


- I eat the same meals every day (this is not for everyone but is probably the biggest time saver and simplifier I have implemented)
.

This has been my motto so far (its only been 3 weeks...ha) It really makes preparing meals easier, you only need to figure out the nutritional information once, and its really easy to portion control, just divide your daily meals into small tupperware like containers and/or sandwhich bags. Then, all you have to do it grab the correct container at the given time and your off.

You get used to the same meals pretty quick, and hey, I even start to crave my tuna sandwich sometimes, for the 7 day in a row.....:) Kinda a happy bliss knowing that its waiting for me when i get back from a suppliler or something.

My wife and I do mix it up for dinner, which BTW is also still my weakspot. But she is getting back into the swing of her program and we cook a lot out of the weightwatchers books, so once again, all the nutritional information is all figured out.

Good luck once again and keep at it.

John

Hey Formerself, I am in a similar boat as you; I'm 25/5'11, and 3 weeks ago I was 258 and today I'm 250. After a lot of false starts I can only echo how important it is not to try and do too much to begin with (because no matter how hard you try you'll think you should have done better and will get discouraged!) If you're like me you have a tough time in the gym, so dont try and go into military/decathelete mode in a drive to make a huge initial push.

This is going to be a marathon not a sprint, so keep your head up and good luck!

:gl: