What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

I need help losing weight and getting back in shape (2 Viewers)

Jeebus. Glad to see you guys all have such confidence in me. I'm going to say night was certainly not a total success, but probably could have been worse. From a drinking standpoint, had one light beer when I first got there and milked it for about an hour. I did OK on the pre-meal snacks, sticking almost exclusively to the sommer sausage. I'm sure it's not good for you, but I totally avoided any sugary desert type snacks. I had one piece of snack cheese, maybe 3-4 wheat thins dipped in a sour cream/chipped beef/pickle type of dip, couple pieces of broccoli and couple of cauliflower with a smidge of ranch. Certainly not great, but probably could have been worse. For soup, I had my buddies wife's potato soup. Also, I'm sure not great, but probably better than my wife's cheeseburger soup. It's a milk based soup that she makes with frozen thin cut hashbrowns and little chunks of ham. Had 2 medium sized bowls over the 8 hours we were there. As the night wore on and I'd drank a #### ton of water, the music came on and everybody started dancing. I ended up drinking 2 more light beers in the last hour and a half. Got there around 6PM, left at 2AM. Total alcohol damage was one vodka soda, 3 light beers and a shot of some rumchata type of liquor. Not great by any means but far better than normal, so I'll take it as a partial win I guess. I don't feel fat and bloated, but I'll have to skip church to get a good nights sleep probably. Holiday parties are going to be tough, no doubt, but two of the three big ones we go to are over now. I made better choices. Not perfect, but better, and probably burned a few calories on the dance floor as well.

 
Nothing new to add (and I am and have always struggled with weight myself) but IMO #1 issue for you is all of the eating out. You can run/walk 6 hours a day and drop alcohol completely, but if you are getting two-three meals out a day, you're probably not going to be able to change anything.

 
RealReactions said:
jerry jones said:
You can't out-exercise a bad diet...start there.

McD's 4 or 5 times a week....high cholesterol you say?
This is false. You can out work a bad diet but it is just harder. A lot of harder. You have to be talking working out extremely hard for at least 2 hours. He out works his diet and he is a top athlete.

I like the whole video but you can skip to 2:22 to see what i am talking about
Not the worst advice ever but not real far from it.

 
I had to cut out alcohol completely for a year+ when I lost my weight. It's a double whammy. You not only get the extra calories from the alcohol but it also loosens your inhibitions and decreases your willpower to eat sensibly. I did start to drink again this past January but it's just a 2-3 times a month thing. Maybe down to nothing now that football season is winding down.

 
Just read the original post again and had missed the part about your wife blowing up and now pushing two bills. Yikes, I think you both are going to have to commit to making changes together or anything either one of you do on your own will be short lived.

 
It isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change. You don't need to stop eating mcdonalds 4 times a week until you lose the weight - you need to stop eating McDonald's.
Been said a few times but people keep defending it saying "egg mcmuffins are less than 300 calories. It's #### food, don't eat it; get your 300 calories else where.

 
  • Smile
Reactions: Ned
Tell your wife what you're trying to do and ask her to give you smaller portions at dinner.

My wife is an awesome cook too. I eat lunch at 1:00 so I'm just not that hungry at 6:00. She's getting it now when I leave 1/2 my plate full. So much waste.

Ask your wife if she's onboard with eating out only once per month of the $150-200 variety. Cut the alcohol from these dinners and get it down to $100. Still an awesome treat!

Not only are you saving calories but $$$. Decide what you'll do together with that $6,000 per year. A nice trip is pretty good motivation for both of you.

Being aware of your situation is a good start. This allows you to make small choices here and there that add up. I Liked your post-party update because even though it wasn't a slam-dunk win you used your brain and made some decisions pre-game and at halftime to earn some minutes. One decision...one day at a time.

 
I had to cut out alcohol completely for a year+ when I lost my weight. It's a double whammy. You not only get the extra calories from the alcohol but it also loosens your inhibitions and decreases your willpower to eat sensibly. I did start to drink again this past January but it's just a 2-3 times a month thing. Maybe down to nothing now that football season is winding down.
This times a thousand. Alcohol for me is the devil. We got into a routine of hammering 400-500 extra calories a night in alcohol alone, and once I'm on the couch blitzed, a pizza always seems like a really good idea.

Oh and don't forget you wake up the next morning feeling kind of groggy and miserable. Best way to cure that hangover? Sausage, egg and cheese sandwich.

All sorts of benefits to cutting out alcohol. I had one drink this week. It's been strange. But I feel pretty good. I'm following the advice of this thread. This week "giving up" booze. (It helps that my wife has given it up too). Next week, start trimming back carbs. Soon enough, going for walks, then back into the gym, etc. baby steps.

 
Gussy - when's the last time you went an entire day without drinking?
You know, that's interesting. Initially I was like "Friday, I don't drink every day". But then I realized that I had a client who brought some light beer to a late day home inspection, and I had ONE beer Friday night. I did not drink Thursday. Wednesday, an ex was in town, she comes to town every 6 to 8 weeks and always wants to get lunch. I ended up drinking a winter ale and a couple of vodka soda's Wednesday. I don't believe I drank Tuesday. I know I got after it pretty hard either the Sunday night game or the Monday night game, I can't remember which. For the most part, in the winter, I usually drink less than 3 days a week, but I'm sure there are some days, like Friday, where it feels like I didn't drink, but in reality, I did have a beer.

 
It isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change. You don't need to stop eating mcdonalds 4 times a week until you lose the weight - you need to stop eating McDonald's.
Been said a few times but people keep defending it saying "egg mcmuffins are less than 300 calories. It's #### food, don't eat it; get your 300 calories else where.
Or just eat it one day a week. Even health nuts allow for a cheat day.

 
  • Smile
Reactions: Hoh
Gussy - when's the last time you went an entire day without drinking?
You know, that's interesting. Initially I was like "Friday, I don't drink every day". But then I realized that I had a client who brought some light beer to a late day home inspection, and I had ONE beer Friday night. I did not drink Thursday. Wednesday, an ex was in town, she comes to town every 6 to 8 weeks and always wants to get lunch. I ended up drinking a winter ale and a couple of vodka soda's Wednesday. I don't believe I drank Tuesday. I know I got after it pretty hard either the Sunday night game or the Monday night game, I can't remember which. For the most part, in the winter, I usually drink less than 3 days a week, but I'm sure there are some days, like Friday, where it feels like I didn't drink, but in reality, I did have a beer.
You should try to quit drinking completely. If you cannot, then you know you must quit as you have a problem. As far as what you ate, I'd take that as a success from what you would normally eat however still understand you gave a ways to go before sustained lifestyle change. As has been said you don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle change.

 
boots11234 said:
Gussy - when's the last time you went an entire day without drinking?
You know, that's interesting. Initially I was like "Friday, I don't drink every day". But then I realized that I had a client who brought some light beer to a late day home inspection, and I had ONE beer Friday night. I did not drink Thursday. Wednesday, an ex was in town, she comes to town every 6 to 8 weeks and always wants to get lunch. I ended up drinking a winter ale and a couple of vodka soda's Wednesday. I don't believe I drank Tuesday. I know I got after it pretty hard either the Sunday night game or the Monday night game, I can't remember which. For the most part, in the winter, I usually drink less than 3 days a week, but I'm sure there are some days, like Friday, where it feels like I didn't drink, but in reality, I did have a beer.
You should try to quit drinking completely. If you cannot, then you know you must quit as you have a problem. As far as what you ate, I'd take that as a success from what you would normally eat however still understand you gave a ways to go before sustained lifestyle change. As has been said you don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle change.
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.

 
boots11234 said:
Gussy - when's the last time you went an entire day without drinking?
You know, that's interesting. Initially I was like "Friday, I don't drink every day". But then I realized that I had a client who brought some light beer to a late day home inspection, and I had ONE beer Friday night. I did not drink Thursday. Wednesday, an ex was in town, she comes to town every 6 to 8 weeks and always wants to get lunch. I ended up drinking a winter ale and a couple of vodka soda's Wednesday. I don't believe I drank Tuesday. I know I got after it pretty hard either the Sunday night game or the Monday night game, I can't remember which. For the most part, in the winter, I usually drink less than 3 days a week, but I'm sure there are some days, like Friday, where it feels like I didn't drink, but in reality, I did have a beer.
You should try to quit drinking completely. If you cannot, then you know you must quit as you have a problem. As far as what you ate, I'd take that as a success from what you would normally eat however still understand you gave a ways to go before sustained lifestyle change. As has been said you don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle change.
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Absolutely. First off, exercise. If you get into a great habit of getting daily exercise, doesn't have to be intense, it will work wonders. Make time for it. NO matter how hard my runs are, there is almost no greater feeling than finishing those runs. Fires me up for the whole day.

Second, just do your best to eat healthy. Try to only eat when you're hungry, then eat enough to make you not hungry. I think we tend to make this way more complicated than it needs to be.

Shop around the outside of the store. I only buy two things from the main aisles of the grocery store, sardines and sticky fingers carolina gold BBQ sauce. I don't buy any other "foods" from the aisles.

Have bread. Have beer. Have cheese. Just be cool about it. Don't go crazy.

Also, if you're not hungry, don't eat. It's silly that we would ever eat because a clock tells us to.

The only exception to this for me would be those occasions where I am trying to eat for recovery. I do eat some carbs and protein after my longer workouts even though I am not hungry. But I would never eat a full meal.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
boots11234 said:
Gussy - when's the last time you went an entire day without drinking?
You know, that's interesting. Initially I was like "Friday, I don't drink every day". But then I realized that I had a client who brought some light beer to a late day home inspection, and I had ONE beer Friday night. I did not drink Thursday. Wednesday, an ex was in town, she comes to town every 6 to 8 weeks and always wants to get lunch. I ended up drinking a winter ale and a couple of vodka soda's Wednesday. I don't believe I drank Tuesday. I know I got after it pretty hard either the Sunday night game or the Monday night game, I can't remember which. For the most part, in the winter, I usually drink less than 3 days a week, but I'm sure there are some days, like Friday, where it feels like I didn't drink, but in reality, I did have a beer.
You should try to quit drinking completely. If you cannot, then you know you must quit as you have a problem. As far as what you ate, I'd take that as a success from what you would normally eat however still understand you gave a ways to go before sustained lifestyle change. As has been said you don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle change.
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Absolutely. First off, exercise. If you get into a great habit of getting daily exercise, doesn't have to be intense, it will work wonders. Make time for it. NO matter how hard my runs are, there is almost no greater feeling than finishing those runs. Fires me up for the whole day.

Second, just do your best to eat healthy. Try to only eat when you're hungry, then eat enough to make you not hungry. I think we tend to make this way more complicated than it needs to be.

Shop around the outside of the store. I only buy two things from the main aisles of the grocery store, sardines and sticky fingers carolina gold BBQ sauce. I don't buy any other "foods" from the aisles.

Have bread. Have beer. Have cheese. Just be cool about it. Don't go crazy.

Also, if you're not hungry, don't eat. It's silly that we would ever eat because a clock tells us to.

The only exception to this for me would be those occasions where I am trying to eat for recovery. I do eat some carbs and protein after my longer workouts even though I am not hungry. But I would never eat a full meal.
I think its a good idea to be hungry once in a while, at least to get used to the feeling of being hungry. Somehow being hungry in America is practically considered to be a crime. Its not. If you put yourself in a position where you will be hungry for a while and can't get to a feedbin, say like on a long hike or something, the feeling of being hungry will pass. I'm pretty sure you burn lots of fat when you're hungry, even more if you are hungry and Naked and Afraid.

 
You can't out-exercise a bad diet...start there.

McD's 4 or 5 times a week....high cholesterol you say?
This is false. You can out work a bad diet but it is just harder. A lot of harder. You have to be talking working out extremely hard for at least 2 hours. He out works his diet and he is a top athlete.

I like the whole video but you can skip to 2:22 to see what i am talking about
Not the worst advice ever but not real far from it.
Considering I don't think the NFL tests for clen and hgh and all that stuff back when that was shot. (And perhaps now)

 
Today (tonight) will be difficult. My wife does some arts and crafty beaded glass/silverware type stuff and every year she has an open house for all of her girlfriends that I bar tend. Mostly just wine, a handful of them drink cocktails. I usually don't drink much on this night outside of trying any new wines that we may have brought home, but there will be a ton of snack type foods, and probably not much if anything healthy. Going to try to behave all day in anticipation. Had 3 fried eggs and 2 pieces of whole wheat low cal bread for breakfast. Going to try to survive on a grilled chicken sandwich, maybe lose the bottom half of the bun, and a side salad for lunch. I do think this will get a lot easier after the holidays, although after tonight we SHOULD really only have 2 more holiday get togethers that will be difficult.

 
Today (tonight) will be difficult. My wife does some arts and crafty beaded glass/silverware type stuff and every year she has an open house for all of her girlfriends that I bar tend. Mostly just wine, a handful of them drink cocktails. I usually don't drink much on this night outside of trying any new wines that we may have brought home, but there will be a ton of snack type foods, and probably not much if anything healthy. Going to try to behave all day in anticipation. Had 3 fried eggs and 2 pieces of whole wheat low cal bread for breakfast. Going to try to survive on a grilled chicken sandwich, maybe lose the bottom half of the bun, and a side salad for lunch. I do think this will get a lot easier after the holidays, although after tonight we SHOULD really only have 2 more holiday get togethers that will be difficult.
There's always going to be something. It's up to you to overcome them. Whenever you think you're going to have a bad night you probably will. Then you're not setting yourself up for success when you have that unplanned bad night. A whole week's worth of progress can be cancelled out in just a few hours of bad decisions. This will likely be #2 in a 3 day stretch. You're not going to progress today, but since you know you are probably going to have a bad night get your ### out there and exercise for an hour (plus), so hopefully you wake up tomorrow in the same place you are today instead of worse.

 
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.

According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Even though you're right that people can get in better shape without going crazy with restrictions, I sorta disagree with your general sentiment. Losing the amount of weight he's talking about and keeping it off will probably be the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life. Only like 5% of people that attempt to do it are successful. If he wants to be successful he can't approach this with anything like a casual mindset. He can't point to some skinny guy that eats McDonalds and assume he can do the same. He probably can't.

 
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.

According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Even though you're right that people can get in better shape without going crazy with restrictions, I sorta disagree with your general sentiment. Losing the amount of weight he's talking about and keeping it off will probably be the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life. Only like 5% of people that attempt to do it are successful. If he wants to be successful he can't approach this with anything like a casual mindset. He can't point to some skinny guy that eats McDonalds and assume he can do the same. He probably can't.
The keeping it off thing is where my mindset comes from. Lots of people can lose weight with a very restrictive diet but they won't keep it off because it's unreasonable for most people to maintain such a restrictive diet over the long term. What you need is a true lifestyle change and for that to work, it has to be a lifestyle that is acceptable to you for the rest of your life. For most people, never having a beer again or an egg mcmuffin is not realistic, but understanding how many calories are in those things (and later protein/carbs/other macros) and how they affect your general health and how they can still be part of your life but at a healthier weight is more realistic/easier to maintain over the long term.

 
  • Smile
Reactions: Hoh
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.

According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Even though you're right that people can get in better shape without going crazy with restrictions, I sorta disagree with your general sentiment. Losing the amount of weight he's talking about and keeping it off will probably be the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life. Only like 5% of people that attempt to do it are successful. If he wants to be successful he can't approach this with anything like a casual mindset. He can't point to some skinny guy that eats McDonalds and assume he can do the same. He probably can't.
The keeping it off thing is where my mindset comes from. Lots of people can lose weight with a very restrictive diet but they won't keep it off because it's unreasonable for most people to maintain such a restrictive diet over the long term. What you need is a true lifestyle change and for that to work, it has to be a lifestyle that is acceptable to you for the rest of your life. For most people, never having a beer again or an egg mcmuffin is not realistic, but understanding how many calories are in those things (and later protein/carbs/other macros) and how they affect your general health and how they can still be part of your life but at a healthier weight is more realistic/easier to maintain over the long term.
:goodposting:

Successful people establish a reasonable goal then create a plan in order for them to first achieve it and later maintain it.

 
In my judgment, eating smaller amounts of crappy food doesn't satisfy your appetite for more crappy food. Attempts to eat McDonald's in moderation are destined to fail. If it is at all possible, he needs to get his body to the point where he doesn't even want to eat McDonald's.

He's addicted to unhealthy foods. There's a reason that the typical advice for addicts is to stop drinking entirely, or stop using drugs entirely, rather than just cutting back some.

 
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.

According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Even though you're right that people can get in better shape without going crazy with restrictions, I sorta disagree with your general sentiment. Losing the amount of weight he's talking about and keeping it off will probably be the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life. Only like 5% of people that attempt to do it are successful. If he wants to be successful he can't approach this with anything like a casual mindset. He can't point to some skinny guy that eats McDonalds and assume he can do the same. He probably can't.
The keeping it off thing is where my mindset comes from. Lots of people can lose weight with a very restrictive diet but they won't keep it off because it's unreasonable for most people to maintain such a restrictive diet over the long term. What you need is a true lifestyle change and for that to work, it has to be a lifestyle that is acceptable to you for the rest of your life. For most people, never having a beer again or an egg mcmuffin is not realistic, but understanding how many calories are in those things (and later protein/carbs/other macros) and how they affect your general health and how they can still be part of your life but at a healthier weight is more realistic/easier to maintain over the long term.
:goodposting:

Successful people establish a reasonable goal then create a plan in order for them to first achieve it and later maintain it.
The problem is that people think once they hit their goals, that's it. Problem is it leaves them metabolically broken for 2-5 years. People don't know that once you hit a goal weight that it's not enough to just eat to maintenance, you have to keep at the cut program just to not add things back on. That's why surgery procedures tend to work out better than just straight diet alone over 5 years.

There are all sorts of things that break in your body as you add more than 100 pounds of fat. And your body would rather you put those back on rather than fix them. And it's really hard to talk yourself to eating even LESS once you hit your goal weight than what it took to get there. So here we are.

 
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.

According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Even though you're right that people can get in better shape without going crazy with restrictions, I sorta disagree with your general sentiment. Losing the amount of weight he's talking about and keeping it off will probably be the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life. Only like 5% of people that attempt to do it are successful. If he wants to be successful he can't approach this with anything like a casual mindset. He can't point to some skinny guy that eats McDonalds and assume he can do the same. He probably can't.
I agree. A casual mindset is not what's going to be needed here. All we've heard so far is a bunch of bargaining. Seems every night is some event where doing what needs to be done is going to be difficult. There's always going to trouble nights whether it's holiday time or not. Today he's supposedly being "good" but in the two meals so far bread was involved. Downloading an app and kind of monitoring calories isn't going to get it done in this case. A complete dietary overhaul is what's needed. I understand others points that something incredibly restrictive isn't going to be doable long term but a massive and serious change are what's needed. The "it's ok to do fast food once in a while as long as you don't over do it" thing is just setting yourself up for failure. Fried eggs, toast and butter for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and cheeseburger soup for dinner? Pizza for a mid afternoon snack? You don't need to download an app to tell you that's not going to work. I don't care if it says "diet" on the side of the bread packaging. That bread is going right to your gut and is going to work against you in terms of losing weight.

 
Today (tonight) will be difficult. My wife does some arts and crafty beaded glass/silverware type stuff and every year she has an open house for all of her girlfriends that I bar tend. Mostly just wine, a handful of them drink cocktails. I usually don't drink much on this night outside of trying any new wines that we may have brought home, but there will be a ton of snack type foods, and probably not much if anything healthy. Going to try to behave all day in anticipation. Had 3 fried eggs and 2 pieces of whole wheat low cal bread for breakfast. Going to try to survive on a grilled chicken sandwich, maybe lose the bottom half of the bun, and a side salad for lunch. I do think this will get a lot easier after the holidays, although after tonight we SHOULD really only have 2 more holiday get togethers that will be difficult.
So allow yourself a holiday 'treat' or two ...just get back to the discipline the next day.

If not mentioned:

- those Mio water additives are actually very tasty. Find a few flavors you like. You have a habit of lifting a drink ...let it be zero-calorie, but good tasting, water.

- as you eat breakfast at home, and generally phase out McD's, save that money and treat yourself to something down the road.

 
Why? Moderation is fine. Beer is amazing.

According to this thread he can't ever have a drink, a piece of bread or go to McDonalds again.

It's no wonder people give up and get to be in awful shape.

You can find a suitable lifestyle that allows for all those things within a 2000 calorie diet with some moderate exercise and you will lose weight.

It doesn't have to be that restrictive. You don't have to give up things that bring you enjoyment, just understand how they fit in the overall picture of a more health conscious diet.
Even though you're right that people can get in better shape without going crazy with restrictions, I sorta disagree with your general sentiment. Losing the amount of weight he's talking about and keeping it off will probably be the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life. Only like 5% of people that attempt to do it are successful. If he wants to be successful he can't approach this with anything like a casual mindset. He can't point to some skinny guy that eats McDonalds and assume he can do the same. He probably can't.
The keeping it off thing is where my mindset comes from. Lots of people can lose weight with a very restrictive diet but they won't keep it off because it's unreasonable for most people to maintain such a restrictive diet over the long term. What you need is a true lifestyle change and for that to work, it has to be a lifestyle that is acceptable to you for the rest of your life. For most people, never having a beer again or an egg mcmuffin is not realistic, but understanding how many calories are in those things (and later protein/carbs/other macros) and how they affect your general health and how they can still be part of your life but at a healthier weight is more realistic/easier to maintain over the long term.
:goodposting:

Successful people establish a reasonable goal then create a plan in order for them to first achieve it and later maintain it.
The problem is that people think once they hit their goals, that's it. Problem is it leaves them metabolically broken for 2-5 years. People don't know that once you hit a goal weight that it's not enough to just eat to maintenance, you have to keep at the cut program just to not add things back on. That's why surgery procedures tend to work out better than just straight diet alone over 5 years.

There are all sorts of things that break in your body as you add more than 100 pounds of fat. And your body would rather you put those back on rather than fix them. And it's really hard to talk yourself to eating even LESS once you hit your goal weight than what it took to get there. So here we are.
That's where exercise comes in.

 
Seems every night is some event where doing what needs to be done is going to be difficult. There's always going to trouble nights whether it's holiday time or not.
This is a pretty big deal, imho.

He has events where he can't control himself

"Not drinking" w/ buddies is an issue - he's worried about what they think is in his glass.

OP, I wish you luck, but you need to start taking more control of things, instead of letting them control you. You have choices when you are out.

 
I know it's going to be a gradual process. I'm right now just trying to make better choices, and learn what foods are what when it comes to caloric intake. Yes, breakfast had bread, but it was the Sara Lee whole wheat diet bread. 2 slices are 90 calories and 19 carbs. With the breakfast I had this morning, and 2 cups of coffee, technically, it was more calories than "just" an egg mcmuffin or "just" an egg white delite. But it was probably more filling. I spent the morning trying to help my wife get the house ready for her shindig tonight, vacuuming the floors and cleaning the hard wood floors. Is it as good as running a quick mile? No, but it's probably the only exercise I'm going to get today. I had the grilled smothered Runza chicken sandwich for lunch, basically a chicken breast smothered with swiss cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms. 380 calories, and then a side salad and the light itialian dressing, which was another 55. Drank water. From a caloric standpoint, not terrible, but, again, had 41 carbs and 1500 mg of sodium. The sodium is another issue with my high blood pressure. I really need to find some foods I like that aren't sky high in sodium. I know it sounds like a sickness, and it probably is, but I'm bargaining with myself right now trying to find ways to make better choices. My son plays JV basketball and they have a game tonight at 7:15. He goes to school in a small town 20 minutes from where I live. My wife's party is from 3-7, so it is easy for me to justify not being able to drink, because I have to drive to my son's game. I had already looked to see what a glass of cab looks like calorie wise, vs. a vodka soda or a light beer. Looks like cab is low 80's for calories, while a light beer and vodka soda are about the same at just under 100. I still may have a glass of cab after my kids game, who knows, but I won't be able to just sit there and drink all afternoon with having to go to my kids game. The bigger problem is there will be no real dinner tonight. Just a bunch of snacks. I've still got just over 1200 calories left. It's a process.

 
I have Meniere's disease, so if I consume too much sodium I end up getting episodes of vertigo that can last for hours. As long as I keep my sodium intake low, they never happen.

If you consciously try to keep your sodium low you'll as a side benefit lose weight. This is because things like bread and cheese are some of the biggest sources of sodium out there. Cut those out of your diet and your sodium intake drops significantly along with weight.

 
Curious what your blood pressure is. Do you take meds for that?

You put anything in your coffee?
I take chorthalidone. It's high, not sure the number off the top of my head. I put skim milk and a natural sweetener in it. I can't remember the name of it. Truvia? or something like that.

 
I know it's going to be a gradual process. I'm right now just trying to make better choices, and learn what foods are what when it comes to caloric intake. Yes, breakfast had bread, but it was the Sara Lee whole wheat diet bread. 2 slices are 90 calories and 19 carbs. With the breakfast I had this morning, and 2 cups of coffee, technically, it was more calories than "just" an egg mcmuffin or "just" an egg white delite. But it was probably more filling. I spent the morning trying to help my wife get the house ready for her shindig tonight, vacuuming the floors and cleaning the hard wood floors. Is it as good as running a quick mile? No, but it's probably the only exercise I'm going to get today. I had the grilled smothered Runza chicken sandwich for lunch, basically a chicken breast smothered with swiss cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms. 380 calories, and then a side salad and the light itialian dressing, which was another 55. Drank water. From a caloric standpoint, not terrible, but, again, had 41 carbs and 1500 mg of sodium. The sodium is another issue with my high blood pressure. I really need to find some foods I like that aren't sky high in sodium. I know it sounds like a sickness, and it probably is, but I'm bargaining with myself right now trying to find ways to make better choices. My son plays JV basketball and they have a game tonight at 7:15. He goes to school in a small town 20 minutes from where I live. My wife's party is from 3-7, so it is easy for me to justify not being able to drink, because I have to drive to my son's game. I had already looked to see what a glass of cab looks like calorie wise, vs. a vodka soda or a light beer. Looks like cab is low 80's for calories, while a light beer and vodka soda are about the same at just under 100. I still may have a glass of cab after my kids game, who knows, but I won't be able to just sit there and drink all afternoon with having to go to my kids game. The bigger problem is there will be no real dinner tonight. Just a bunch of snacks. I've still got just over 1200 calories left. It's a process.
I am going to add more in a bit but the bolded sentence bothers me.

So make dinner tonight. Have it ready to go so you can eat it while you bartend at 6 PM. Maybe your son should have dinner before his game? What is he eating? Is this food problem involve the kid along with you and the wife? Are you all eating crap?

Dinner could be a can of tuna with one slice of diet bread. Add an apple or a banana at the end so you have that sweet trigger that tells you to stop eating. Dinner does not have to be a grand cooked meal served on a dinner plate. Dinner is just a meal.

 
Curious what your blood pressure is. Do you take meds for that?

You put anything in your coffee?
I take chorthalidone. It's high, not sure the number off the top of my head. I put skim milk and a natural sweetener in it. I can't remember the name of it. Truvia? or something like that.
Sweeteners like Truvia are made from the Stevia plant, which does exist in nature. But it's not like they rip the plant out of the ground and grind it up as a sweetener. It goes through a whole bunch of chemical processing before it gets into the little packet. Them calling it "natural" is just a marketing gimmick. It seems like you are susceptible to somewhat dubious health claims made by various processed foods.

 
Exercise and mindset. Don't go in with the mindset of I'm working out to lose weight (results won't be quick enough and you will most probably stop). Go in with the mindset of "I am working out for my health". The weight lose will happen. But your health should be your #1 goal. Of course your eating habits have to change as well. That should go without saying.

 
OP, you have received a ton of great advice. That is pretty awesome that dozens of people that do not know you are taking time to try to help you.

You are at a crossroads in your life. An alarm bell went on in your head recently telling you that you have to improve your health. You are fat and in poor health. You are taking meds like my 70-year old father.

I am not going to repeat all of the advice but want to echo some of the most important points:

1. Get your wife on board. She obviously wants to lose weight. Losing weight is tough but not impossible. It takes commitment, discipline and planning. Have a serious talk with your wife about wanting to improve your health. Tell her you want her to join you. Tell her you need her support and you want to support her 100%.

Maybe you and your wife can take walks together. Maybe you two can go to a gym together. Maybe she has really wanted to join a yoga class or zumba class but has not gotten around to it.

2. Your diet sucks. You know what you have to do. Make that commitment to yourself and your family.

3. The alcohol intake has to be cut drastically. It should be cut out entirely but there is not chance of that happening. Reality is that you are going to drink.

I wish you luck. Please keep us posted.

 
Here is a low calorie low sodium meal that's easy to make.

Get some Jennie-o ground turkey patties (or a competing brand), some Natures own 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Rolls (or a competing brand), and some Sargento Natural Swiss Deli Style. Fry up a patty just like you would a hamburger. Add the cheese, and put on a bun. At this point you're only at 360 calories and and 300 mg of sodium (190 mg is from the bun alone). Then add things like lettuce, tomato, and such to your liking. If you must have ketchup and mustard or a burger just isn't a burger without them, then of course don't deprive yourself, but just remember ketchup is essentially pure sugar and is high in sodium. Heinz makes a no sugar ketchup and also makes a no salt ketchup. I use the no salt version because of my Meniere's disease, but if your focus is to lose weight the no sugar would make more sense. Mustard has almost no calories, but be careful of what brand you use to keep sodium low. I had this for dinner last night and it totaled 390 calories and 307 mg of sodium after I doctored it up to my liking. Tastes great.

On that note if you go to McDonalds and order a quarter pounder with no cheese, no ketchup and no pickle, its only 420 calories and 470 mg of sodium. The 8 grams of saturated fat isn't good for you (which is a why ground turkey is better), but when you're on the run and need the convenience of McDonalds, this is a my go to order, as there's not very much on McDonalds menu that's low sodium. Their chicken offerings are worse sodium wise than the burgers. Also, if Burger King is near the McDonalds, I go there instead, for a couple reasons. First cheese isn't included in the price, so I'm not paying for it and telling them to keep it. And second, they've never messed up my order, whereas sometime McDonalds screws up custom orders like this. I also like the taste of Burger Kings burgers better, and without ketchup, that's important. A Whopper with no cheese, no mayo, no ketchup and no pickle is 490 Calories and 450 mg of sodium. So if you're trying to lose weight, getting the quarter pounder custom ordered will save you 70 calories compared to the whopper.

 
Has there ever been a thread on FBGs about some dude trying to lose weight that ended up in success? Now I know that at least 75% of them were made by Oats, so we can discount those, but that still leaves 25% where the OP may have actually taken all the good advice and gone from fat to fit.

Let's hear from the success stories!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Coffee should be black.

Look into leangains Intermittent Fasting. Basically eat healthy food (we all know this) but only eat in 6-8 hour window. Like from 1-9 or something. Lot's of reasons it stimulates fat loss but the biggest is that you aren't eating so much food. You can eat bigger meals when you are only eating 2 per day. All that six meal bull#### they used to spout has been proven a fallacy.

I used to always wonder how my brother could eat like total #### when we were in our 30s and not get fat. He used to skip breakfast, usually skip lunch and then eat crap food, drink and eat a pizza at night. Well, now I know. Now if I could figure out how he's still stronger than me despite not touching a weight since the Clinton administration.

 
I know it's going to be a gradual process. I'm right now just trying to make better choices, and learn what foods are what when it comes to caloric intake. Yes, breakfast had bread, but it was the Sara Lee whole wheat diet bread. 2 slices are 90 calories and 19 carbs. With the breakfast I had this morning, and 2 cups of coffee, technically, it was more calories than "just" an egg mcmuffin or "just" an egg white delite. But it was probably more filling. I spent the morning trying to help my wife get the house ready for her shindig tonight, vacuuming the floors and cleaning the hard wood floors. Is it as good as running a quick mile? No, but it's probably the only exercise I'm going to get today. I had the grilled smothered Runza chicken sandwich for lunch, basically a chicken breast smothered with swiss cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms. 380 calories, and then a side salad and the light itialian dressing, which was another 55. Drank water. From a caloric standpoint, not terrible, but, again, had 41 carbs and 1500 mg of sodium. The sodium is another issue with my high blood pressure. I really need to find some foods I like that aren't sky high in sodium. I know it sounds like a sickness, and it probably is, but I'm bargaining with myself right now trying to find ways to make better choices. My son plays JV basketball and they have a game tonight at 7:15. He goes to school in a small town 20 minutes from where I live. My wife's party is from 3-7, so it is easy for me to justify not being able to drink, because I have to drive to my son's game. I had already looked to see what a glass of cab looks like calorie wise, vs. a vodka soda or a light beer. Looks like cab is low 80's for calories, while a light beer and vodka soda are about the same at just under 100. I still may have a glass of cab after my kids game, who knows, but I won't be able to just sit there and drink all afternoon with having to go to my kids game. The bigger problem is there will be no real dinner tonight. Just a bunch of snacks. I've still got just over 1200 calories left. It's a process.
One thing you'll learn quickly through tracking is that eating out will blow your sodium intake through roof. You are already on the right path by tracking and starting to get the awareness you need to make better choices.

I don't adhere to or recommend any one particular diet, but checking out recipes from DASH, Mediterranean, and Paleo cookbooks can be a good way to find new foods that will work with your long-term goals.

 
It isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change. You don't need to stop eating mcdonalds 4 times a week until you lose the weight - you need to stop eating McDonald's.
Been said a few times but people keep defending it saying "egg mcmuffins are less than 300 calories. It's #### food, don't eat it; get your 300 calories else where.
I actually would disagree with this. There is an egg, a piece of canadian bacon (basically ham), american cheese (this is by far the worst part of the sandwich - i personally order it without cheese) and an english muffin. Not much to mess up there. Now the sausage mcmuffin who the heck knows where or how the sausage was made.

 
Has there ever been a thread on FBGs about some dude trying to lose weight that ended up in success? Now I know that at least 75% of them were made by Oats, so we can discount those, but that still leaves 25% where the OP may have actually taken all the good advice and gone from fat to fit.

Let's hear from the success stories!
I recently started posting in the FFA, for no explicit reason, after being apart of these boards for years. I was so distraught after reading only a handful of posts that I stopped eating for a week. I'm now down to 170.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top