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

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.
I had a co worker with sleep apnea, well over 300 pounds and his nutritionist told him the egg mcmuffin was fine as long as only it, no hash brown, no sausage, etc.... but by all means people keep suggesting no bread, alcohol, eggs etc... for the rest of his life because that's totally realistic and sustainable.

 
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!
The first few fatballguys threads had some success stories, I believe

 
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.
For someone who needs to keep sodium low, the egg mcmuffin is pretty bad. Yes, it's only 300 calories, but it comes with 820 mg of sodium. The ham, the cheese and the bread are all big sources of sodium.

Two scrambled eggs is only 170 calories and 180 mg of sodium.

 
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.
One of my go-to breakfasts is a homemade version:

1 Pasture raised egg fried in single egg pan

1 High fiber English muffin

1 slice organic mild cheddar

1 slice ham

1 tsp stone ground Dijon mustard

3/4 cup whole milk

Total prep, cook, and cleanup time is about 5 minutes. Tastes 100x better. Learning to cook healthier and better versions of stuff you eat out is another good strategy.

 
I know Michael Pollan has a bit of an activist bent, and the diehard nutritionguys may not like him, but I found I've learned a lot from his various books. If you have some time, try to read In Defense of Food. The Omnivore's Dilemma is good too, but Defense has kinda helped shape my eating habits into my late 20s now.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

I think you see a lot of recommendations out there that work for some people but are just too out there for me. Read food labels. Look at nutrition facts. Try to eat out as little as possible. Grocery shop on the fringes of the store as much as possible. Try to cut your refined sugar intake a much as possible.

There's no magic answer, but the above things have helped me keep weight off over the past few years. I still have my vices (too much beer and probably too many grains), but it's a slow process. You didn't get to where you are overnight and you won't get to where you want to be overnight.

And if your friends give you #### about not drinking alcohol....are these guys like 18 years old? Regardless, it's something you're gonna have to deal with.

Good luck.

 
I had no idea that ketchup was so bad for you. I'm not a guy who eats a ton of it, but I can't imagine hamburgers, especially, without it. I've never been a mustard instead of ketchup guy. Like them together. Can do bbq sauce instead of ketchup, but I'm sure it's just as bad. That sucks. I'm actually ok with like a hamburger steak with something sauteed on top, but we grill out a ton in the summer, and hamburgers happen somewhat regularly.

 
As far as my friends go, I guess it seems normal type ribbing to me. If you have a bunch of guys you've hung out with for a long time, and when you hang out there's a lot of drinking that goes on, and if you've always been kind of the "one most likely to get out of hand", it's kind of hard when you're like.......um, yeah, I've decided to quit drinking. It used to be funny, having a "reputation" to uphold. The problem is, when you decide you'd like to change from being "that guy"............everybody wonders what the eff is wrong with you.

 
As far as my friends go, I guess it seems normal type ribbing to me. If you have a bunch of guys you've hung out with for a long time, and when you hang out there's a lot of drinking that goes on, and if you've always been kind of the "one most likely to get out of hand", it's kind of hard when you're like.......um, yeah, I've decided to quit drinking. It used to be funny, having a "reputation" to uphold. The problem is, when you decide you'd like to change from being "that guy"............everybody wonders what the eff is wrong with you.
It's called growing up.

 
As far as my friends go, I guess it seems normal type ribbing to me. If you have a bunch of guys you've hung out with for a long time, and when you hang out there's a lot of drinking that goes on, and if you've always been kind of the "one most likely to get out of hand", it's kind of hard when you're like.......um, yeah, I've decided to quit drinking. It used to be funny, having a "reputation" to uphold. The problem is, when you decide you'd like to change from being "that guy"............everybody wonders what the eff is wrong with you.
Are your buddies also overweight?
 
I had no idea that ketchup was so bad for you. I'm not a guy who eats a ton of it, but I can't imagine hamburgers, especially, without it. I've never been a mustard instead of ketchup guy. Like them together. Can do bbq sauce instead of ketchup, but I'm sure it's just as bad. That sucks. I'm actually ok with like a hamburger steak with something sauteed on top, but we grill out a ton in the summer, and hamburgers happen somewhat regularly.
Try to find a low sodium salsa that you like, and start replacing your ketchup usage with that. Like I said I still use ketchup, but I use it sparingly.

 
As far as my friends go, I guess it seems normal type ribbing to me. If you have a bunch of guys you've hung out with for a long time, and when you hang out there's a lot of drinking that goes on, and if you've always been kind of the "one most likely to get out of hand", it's kind of hard when you're like.......um, yeah, I've decided to quit drinking. It used to be funny, having a "reputation" to uphold. The problem is, when you decide you'd like to change from being "that guy"............everybody wonders what the eff is wrong with you.
Are your buddies also overweight?
My primary buddy that is closest to my age (I'm 46, he's like 43) is overweight, probably not as bad as me. He also had a lot of the same health problems, but did, and occasionally still does some of the Isagenix stuff, and supposedly his cholesterol and bp are better. The rest of my buddies are all in their young to mid 30's. I'd say only one of them is slightly overweight, but he works out a lot so he can get away with the drinking, I guess another that IS diabetic is a little overweight, but he manages a bunch of Anytime Fitness gyms, so he gets in shape, and then lets things go, and then gets back in shape frequently. The rest of those effers all drink, probably far more beer than me (but hardly ever cocktails), and none have weight issues.

 
Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, i just feel you're in denial here. A smothered fast food chicken sandwich for lunch just isn't going to cut it. The "I'll still eat crap just less of it approach" isn't the way to go. That's not sustainable or healthy. Vegetables need to become the centerpiece of your meals. How many servings of vegetables have you had today? Zilch. I agree on the stevia too, ditch that stuff. It'll take a while for your palate to adjust but it will adjust. Get the processed crap out of your diet no matter what the calorie count says.

The good news is that your diet is so bad and you're so out of shape that when the light eventually comes on you're going to see incredible results even in the short term. I wouldn't worry about apps and calorie counting. Ditch the garbage. Ditch the "diet" foods. If it comes in a box or bag, don't eat it. If the cashier asks if you want fries with that, don't go there. Plan your meals for the next day. No more bargaining. No more excuses. The pay off is going to be worth the effort. I think the goal shouldn't be to just lose a couple of pounds by eating only 3/4th of the hoagie, the goal should be to get back into a great health by overhauling your diet and eventually off the medication if possible. You need those meds now because of the choices you're making. Make new choices and you won't need the meds. Think big. Be the healthiest guy you know. You say you have an addictive personality, be addicted to become the future healthy you.

 
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Willie agree 100%. This whole "cheat day" and picking different options in a fast food place is just going to lead back to bad selections.

I'm punting here, no sense in saying the same thing over and over.

 
As far as my friends go, I guess it seems normal type ribbing to me. If you have a bunch of guys you've hung out with for a long time, and when you hang out there's a lot of drinking that goes on, and if you've always been kind of the "one most likely to get out of hand", it's kind of hard when you're like.......um, yeah, I've decided to quit drinking. It used to be funny, having a "reputation" to uphold. The problem is, when you decide you'd like to change from being "that guy"............everybody wonders what the eff is wrong with you.
Are your buddies also overweight?
My primary buddy that is closest to my age (I'm 46, he's like 43) is overweight, probably not as bad as me. He also had a lot of the same health problems, but did, and occasionally still does some of the Isagenix stuff, and supposedly his cholesterol and bp are better. The rest of my buddies are all in their young to mid 30's. I'd say only one of them is slightly overweight, but he works out a lot so he can get away with the drinking, I guess another that IS diabetic is a little overweight, but he manages a bunch of Anytime Fitness gyms, so he gets in shape, and then lets things go, and then gets back in shape frequently. The rest of those effers all drink, probably far more beer than me (but hardly ever cocktails), and none have weight issues.
In the last 5 years or so, I have cut way back on drinking. I have quit drinking for months at a time. I was a drinker. A lot of my friends are big drinkers. I really thought that they would give me hell when I showed up somewhere and said I was not drinking. Instead, most of them were happy for me. Some even said that they wished they would do that. They say how they are tired of feeling like crap the next day or could use the money they are literally pissing away.

My point is that you may be surprised at the response you are going to get from your friends. And, more importantly, you have to do what you know is best. You are too old to worry about peer pressure. Tell them the truth. Tell them that you need to clean up your health.

 
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!
Don't count me out just yet. Good things on the horizon here.

 
Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, i just feel you're in denial here. A smothered fast food chicken sandwich for lunch just isn't going to cut it. The "I'll still eat crap just less of it approach" isn't the way to go. That's not sustainable or healthy. Vegetables need to become the centerpiece of your meals. How many servings of vegetables have you had today? Zilch. I agree on the stevia too, ditch that stuff. It'll take a while for your palate to adjust but it will adjust. Get the processed crap out of your diet no matter what the calorie count says.

The good news is that your diet is so bad and you're so out of shape that when the light eventually comes on you're going to see incredible results even in the short term. I wouldn't worry about apps and calorie counting. Ditch the garbage. Ditch the "diet" foods. If it comes in a box or bag, don't eat it. If the cashier asks if you want fries with that, don't go there. Plan your meals for the next day. No more bargaining. No more excuses. The pay off is going to be worth the effort. I think the goal shouldn't be to just lose a couple of pounds by eating only 3/4th of the hoagie, the goal should be to get back into a great health by overhauling your diet and eventually off the medication if possible. You need those meds now because of the choices you're making. Make new choices and you won't need the meds. Think big. Be the healthiest guy you know. You say you have an addictive personality, be addicted to become the future healthy you.
I had a side salad with my grilled chicken sandwich. With my current schedule, both work wise, and kids wise, cutting out fast food 100% isn't going to happen. Runza is a midwest chain, and I really think most of their foods are much healthier than normal fast food places. Actual real live hamburger, lots of home made stuff, I really don't think much is processed. I'm sure the bun was, but it was a normal chicken breast. I believe ? swiss cheese is probably better than processed American. Mushrooms and Onions aren't going to hurt me. A smothered chicken breast and a side salad beats a normal lunch for me. I'm not making excuses. I've decided I'm going to try to make better choices, I AM going to track what I'm eating with myfitnesspal, I'm going to try to make a concentrated effort to cut WAY back on alcohol, and I'm going to try to start putting exercise, even if it's just a little initially, back in my life. I think I'm on the right track.

 
gussy said:
Willie Neslon said:
Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, i just feel you're in denial here. A smothered fast food chicken sandwich for lunch just isn't going to cut it. The "I'll still eat crap just less of it approach" isn't the way to go. That's not sustainable or healthy. Vegetables need to become the centerpiece of your meals. How many servings of vegetables have you had today? Zilch. I agree on the stevia too, ditch that stuff. It'll take a while for your palate to adjust but it will adjust. Get the processed crap out of your diet no matter what the calorie count says.

The good news is that your diet is so bad and you're so out of shape that when the light eventually comes on you're going to see incredible results even in the short term. I wouldn't worry about apps and calorie counting. Ditch the garbage. Ditch the "diet" foods. If it comes in a box or bag, don't eat it. If the cashier asks if you want fries with that, don't go there. Plan your meals for the next day. No more bargaining. No more excuses. The pay off is going to be worth the effort. I think the goal shouldn't be to just lose a couple of pounds by eating only 3/4th of the hoagie, the goal should be to get back into a great health by overhauling your diet and eventually off the medication if possible. You need those meds now because of the choices you're making. Make new choices and you won't need the meds. Think big. Be the healthiest guy you know. You say you have an addictive personality, be addicted to become the future healthy you.
I had a side salad with my grilled chicken sandwich. With my current schedule, both work wise, and kids wise, cutting out fast food 100% isn't going to happen. Runza is a midwest chain, and I really think most of their foods are much healthier than normal fast food places. Actual real live hamburger, lots of home made stuff, I really don't think much is processed. I'm sure the bun was, but it was a normal chicken breast. I believe ? swiss cheese is probably better than processed American. Mushrooms and Onions aren't going to hurt me. A smothered chicken breast and a side salad beats a normal lunch for me. I'm not making excuses. I've decided I'm going to try to make better choices, I AM going to track what I'm eating with myfitnesspal, I'm going to try to make a concentrated effort to cut WAY back on alcohol, and I'm going to try to start putting exercise, even if it's just a little initially, back in my life. I think I'm on the right track.
Side salads usually are 90% lettuce with some dressing containing loads of sugar. So you get none of the benefit of vegetables and all of the harm of the sugar. Some of the dressings listed on their nutrition webpage are hot garbage.

 
Checked the menu at this Runza place - the sodium is out of control.

Even the cheese has 6x the sodium it should have.

 
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Only read the first post but I'm sure the resident gym rats will have lots to say. I ballooned up to 325 for a time about 8-10 years ago when I was working in mortgages and playing poker at Commerce until 2am

I initially tried to go to a gym and get my football shape back, lifted weights, etc...I'm 6 foot 2 and managed to get down to abut 225 so I lost 100 lbs. Since then I fluctuate a little between 225-250 and eventually went higher because I would not want to work out in the gym. So I had to find a LIFESTYLE I could live with. When I want to take weight off here is what I do.

1. Drink a lot of water, it breaks down fat and flushes your system. You have years of impacted bowels that need to unconstipate so you need to drink a lot of water. All that binge drinking 2-3 times a week is not helping things at all, internally or externally. I would rather you smoke pot 3-4 times a week then drink.

2. Exercise with limits: I walk at a 3-3.5 MPH clip for 30 minutes minimum which is simply 15 minutes in one direction out your front door, turn and return to home. I joke about it but honestly it requires nothing other than a decent pair of walking shoes which you already have. I know the weather is not like it is here in South FL but you need to find time to get in a walk. I put the headphones on thru my phone and stream music from the internet while I am walking. You would be shocked what a daily 30 minute walk will do to start speeding up your metabolism. You must speed that metabolism up to get the kind of results you want.

Walking causes very little damage and you are not likely to hurt yourself so you can maintain and stick with it. Most guys who go from zero to gym 5 night a week tend to not stay with it long.

I would repeat steps 1 and 2 as often as possible. You need to flush your system and losing 10-15 pounds inside of a week or two is very doable, most of it will be water and feces anyways so get it moving. Then you will level off to a solid 3-5 lbs a week until you get close to goal. My other suggestion is simply cut out the fast food. You cannot control what you are eating and perverting the menu doesn't work long term either.

Any app you can put on your phone to log calories and write down food would help. You need to keep a food journal if you are going to be serious and get results.

Good luck, don't beat yourself up, everyone will be pulling for you and i think it might be time for me to practice a little of this myself for the next few weeks. Once you get the weight off you can work out a maintaining program and at least keep it in range. Right now you feel far out at sea. You can do it!

 
Cocaine can help you lose weight and give you more energy. If you can limit yourself to a line or two before each meal I bet your portions go way down and you will have more energy at work.

 
Willie Neslon said:
Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, i just feel you're in denial here. A smothered fast food chicken sandwich for lunch just isn't going to cut it. The "I'll still eat crap just less of it approach" isn't the way to go. That's not sustainable or healthy. Vegetables need to become the centerpiece of your meals. How many servings of vegetables have you had today? Zilch. I agree on the stevia too, ditch that stuff. It'll take a while for your palate to adjust but it will adjust. Get the processed crap out of your diet no matter what the calorie count says.

The good news is that your diet is so bad and you're so out of shape that when the light eventually comes on you're going to see incredible results even in the short term. I wouldn't worry about apps and calorie counting. Ditch the garbage. Ditch the "diet" foods. If it comes in a box or bag, don't eat it. If the cashier asks if you want fries with that, don't go there. Plan your meals for the next day. No more bargaining. No more excuses. The pay off is going to be worth the effort. I think the goal shouldn't be to just lose a couple of pounds by eating only 3/4th of the hoagie, the goal should be to get back into a great health by overhauling your diet and eventually off the medication if possible. You need those meds now because of the choices you're making. Make new choices and you won't need the meds. Think big. Be the healthiest guy you know. You say you have an addictive personality, be addicted to become the future healthy you.
this this and more this...sums it up best.

 
gussy said:
Willie Neslon said:
Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, i just feel you're in denial here. A smothered fast food chicken sandwich for lunch just isn't going to cut it. The "I'll still eat crap just less of it approach" isn't the way to go. That's not sustainable or healthy. Vegetables need to become the centerpiece of your meals. How many servings of vegetables have you had today? Zilch. I agree on the stevia too, ditch that stuff. It'll take a while for your palate to adjust but it will adjust. Get the processed crap out of your diet no matter what the calorie count says.

The good news is that your diet is so bad and you're so out of shape that when the light eventually comes on you're going to see incredible results even in the short term. I wouldn't worry about apps and calorie counting. Ditch the garbage. Ditch the "diet" foods. If it comes in a box or bag, don't eat it. If the cashier asks if you want fries with that, don't go there. Plan your meals for the next day. No more bargaining. No more excuses. The pay off is going to be worth the effort. I think the goal shouldn't be to just lose a couple of pounds by eating only 3/4th of the hoagie, the goal should be to get back into a great health by overhauling your diet and eventually off the medication if possible. You need those meds now because of the choices you're making. Make new choices and you won't need the meds. Think big. Be the healthiest guy you know. You say you have an addictive personality, be addicted to become the future healthy you.
I had a side salad with my grilled chicken sandwich. With my current schedule, both work wise, and kids wise, cutting out fast food 100% isn't going to happen. Runza is a midwest chain, and I really think most of their foods are much healthier than normal fast food places. Actual real live hamburger, lots of home made stuff, I really don't think much is processed. I'm sure the bun was, but it was a normal chicken breast. I believe ? swiss cheese is probably better than processed American. Mushrooms and Onions aren't going to hurt me. A smothered chicken breast and a side salad beats a normal lunch for me. I'm not making excuses. I've decided I'm going to try to make better choices, I AM going to track what I'm eating with myfitnesspal, I'm going to try to make a concentrated effort to cut WAY back on alcohol, and I'm going to try to start putting exercise, even if it's just a little initially, back in my life. I think I'm on the right track.
If you are going to continue to eat out its because you have no time. They have services with wonderful healthy chefs who will deliver your meals to your house to take with you so you don't need to do this. In the end I think you enjoy eating out. Maybe you like the social part, family part, the "I work hard and deserve this" part. Eating healthy by yourself at times is going to be a difficult adjustment for you if you're serious about all this. Sometimes you have to say no to friends who don't have your best interests at heart.

Healthy chef cooked meals delivered to your door, can't get any easier.

 
Cocaine can help you lose weight and give you more energy. If you can limit yourself to a line or two before each meal I bet your portions go way down and you will have more energy at work.
:lol:

If you are going to go the drug route then clenbuterol is a better option.

 
gussy said:
Willie Neslon said:
Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, i just feel you're in denial here. A smothered fast food chicken sandwich for lunch just isn't going to cut it. The "I'll still eat crap just less of it approach" isn't the way to go. That's not sustainable or healthy. Vegetables need to become the centerpiece of your meals. How many servings of vegetables have you had today? Zilch. I agree on the stevia too, ditch that stuff. It'll take a while for your palate to adjust but it will adjust. Get the processed crap out of your diet no matter what the calorie count says.

The good news is that your diet is so bad and you're so out of shape that when the light eventually comes on you're going to see incredible results even in the short term. I wouldn't worry about apps and calorie counting. Ditch the garbage. Ditch the "diet" foods. If it comes in a box or bag, don't eat it. If the cashier asks if you want fries with that, don't go there. Plan your meals for the next day. No more bargaining. No more excuses. The pay off is going to be worth the effort. I think the goal shouldn't be to just lose a couple of pounds by eating only 3/4th of the hoagie, the goal should be to get back into a great health by overhauling your diet and eventually off the medication if possible. You need those meds now because of the choices you're making. Make new choices and you won't need the meds. Think big. Be the healthiest guy you know. You say you have an addictive personality, be addicted to become the future healthy you.
I had a side salad with my grilled chicken sandwich. With my current schedule, both work wise, and kids wise, cutting out fast food 100% isn't going to happen. Runza is a midwest chain, and I really think most of their foods are much healthier than normal fast food places. Actual real live hamburger, lots of home made stuff, I really don't think much is processed. I'm sure the bun was, but it was a normal chicken breast. I believe ? swiss cheese is probably better than processed American. Mushrooms and Onions aren't going to hurt me. A smothered chicken breast and a side salad beats a normal lunch for me. I'm not making excuses. I've decided I'm going to try to make better choices, I AM going to track what I'm eating with myfitnesspal, I'm going to try to make a concentrated effort to cut WAY back on alcohol, and I'm going to try to start putting exercise, even if it's just a little initially, back in my life. I think I'm on the right track.
You've started a thread asking for advice, then when you get it you try to justify your current eating habits. You need major change. You're bargaining, already saying fast food will stay in the mix because you have kids. That's a BS excuse. Your kids aren't going to force fast food down your throat. A smothered chicken sandwich with cheese and other things sauteed in hydrogenated oils and who knows what else is not healthy. You're in denial. Both your meals today contained bread. Butter for breakfast and oil for lunch Your diet is awful. I'm not trying to be a richard, just trying to get you to hear it. The reality is you don't want to change anything, you want to keep doing what you're doing just with some minor tweaks and somehow become healthy. It doesn't work that way. Download all the apps you want but until your diet changes, I mean completely changes, you have no shot.

Today I've eaten a little granola, unsweetened almond milk, black coffee, spinach, banana, carrots, blueberries, raw pumpkin seeds, cucumber and unsweetened coconut. That's it. Dinner will be chicken breast, carrots and zucchini. No oils. Maybe an apple and natural peanut butter later on. Nothing else. My BP is 110/70. I used to have borderline high cholesterol, now it's normal. I'm 6'0" 181. I'd like to get to about 170-172, I look and feel best at that weight. I've cheated a bunch this fall with pizza or burger or chips here and there. I'm back on the wagon though. It's not easy but I know I can do it. I'm not trying to brag or make you feel bad, just showing you, at least for me, what it takes to be at my healthiest. My goal is to be back in fighting shape by Feb 1. I hate it when I feel soft in the middle, I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be at your weight. It's like carrying 2 forty pound saddle bags on each hip. Just imagine what you'd feel like if you got back down to a healthy weight. It'd be amazing.

 
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gussy said:
Willie Neslon said:
Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, i just feel you're in denial here. A smothered fast food chicken sandwich for lunch just isn't going to cut it. The "I'll still eat crap just less of it approach" isn't the way to go. That's not sustainable or healthy. Vegetables need to become the centerpiece of your meals. How many servings of vegetables have you had today? Zilch. I agree on the stevia too, ditch that stuff. It'll take a while for your palate to adjust but it will adjust. Get the processed crap out of your diet no matter what the calorie count says.

The good news is that your diet is so bad and you're so out of shape that when the light eventually comes on you're going to see incredible results even in the short term. I wouldn't worry about apps and calorie counting. Ditch the garbage. Ditch the "diet" foods. If it comes in a box or bag, don't eat it. If the cashier asks if you want fries with that, don't go there. Plan your meals for the next day. No more bargaining. No more excuses. The pay off is going to be worth the effort. I think the goal shouldn't be to just lose a couple of pounds by eating only 3/4th of the hoagie, the goal should be to get back into a great health by overhauling your diet and eventually off the medication if possible. You need those meds now because of the choices you're making. Make new choices and you won't need the meds. Think big. Be the healthiest guy you know. You say you have an addictive personality, be addicted to become the future healthy you.
I had a side salad with my grilled chicken sandwich. With my current schedule, both work wise, and kids wise, cutting out fast food 100% isn't going to happen. Runza is a midwest chain, and I really think most of their foods are much healthier than normal fast food places. Actual real live hamburger, lots of home made stuff, I really don't think much is processed. I'm sure the bun was, but it was a normal chicken breast. I believe ? swiss cheese is probably better than processed American. Mushrooms and Onions aren't going to hurt me. A smothered chicken breast and a side salad beats a normal lunch for me. I'm not making excuses. I've decided I'm going to try to make better choices, I AM going to track what I'm eating with myfitnesspal, I'm going to try to make a concentrated effort to cut WAY back on alcohol, and I'm going to try to start putting exercise, even if it's just a little initially, back in my life. I think I'm on the right track.
You've started a thread asking for advice, then when you get it you try to justify your current eating habits. You need major change. You're bargaining, already saying fast food will stay in the mix because you have kids. That's a BS excuse. Your kids aren't going to force fast food down your throat. A smothered chicken sandwich with cheese and other things sauteed in hydrogenated oils and who knows what else is not healthy. You're in denial. Both your meals today contained bread. Butter for breakfast and oil for lunch Your diet is awful. I'm not trying to be a richard, just trying to get you to hear it. The reality is you don't want to change anything, you want to keep doing what you're doing just with some minor tweaks and somehow become healthy. It doesn't work that way. Download all the apps you want but until your diet changes, I mean completely changes, you have no shot.

Today I've eaten a little granola, unsweetened almond milk, black coffee, spinach, banana, carrots, blueberries, raw pumpkin seeds, cucumber and unsweetened coconut. That's it. Dinner will be chicken breast, carrots and zucchini. No oils. Maybe an apple and natural peanut butter later on. Nothing else. My BP is 110/70. I used to have borderline high cholesterol, now it's normal. I'm 6'0" 181. I'd like to get to about 170-172, I look and feel best at that weight. I've cheated a bunch this fall with pizza or burger or chips here and there. I'm back on the wagon though. It's not easy but I know I can do it. I'm not trying to brag or make you feel bad, just showing you, at least for me, what it takes to be at my healthiest. My goal is to be back in fighting shape by Feb 1. I hate it when I feel soft in the middle, I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be at your weight. It's like carrying 2 forty pound saddle bags on each hip. Just imagine what you'd feel like if you got back down to a healthy weight. It'd be a amazing.
BUT HE GOT A SIDE SALAD

 
gussy said:
As far as my friends go, I guess it seems normal type ribbing to me. If you have a bunch of guys you've hung out with for a long time, and when you hang out there's a lot of drinking that goes on, and if you've always been kind of the "one most likely to get out of hand", it's kind of hard when you're like.......um, yeah, I've decided to quit drinking. It used to be funny, having a "reputation" to uphold. The problem is, when you decide you'd like to change from being "that guy"............everybody wonders what the eff is wrong with you.
If you are confident about it, and say something like "getting drunk isn't agreeing with me anymore", I swear they will "wonder" for about ten minutes, and that'll be that.

Most of us haven't said to "quit" drinking. You're out socially? Fine - have a drink or two. Then stop.

 
gussy said:
As far as my friends go, I guess it seems normal type ribbing to me. If you have a bunch of guys you've hung out with for a long time, and when you hang out there's a lot of drinking that goes on, and if you've always been kind of the "one most likely to get out of hand", it's kind of hard when you're like.......um, yeah, I've decided to quit drinking. It used to be funny, having a "reputation" to uphold. The problem is, when you decide you'd like to change from being "that guy"............everybody wonders what the eff is wrong with you.
If you are confident about it, and say something like "getting drunk isn't agreeing with me anymore", I swear they will "wonder" for about ten minutes, and that'll be that.

Most of us haven't said to "quit" drinking. You're out socially? Fine - have a drink or two. Then stop.
What kind of ####### friends are going to mock their buddy who is already on diabetes medication? If that's something you need to worry about then you need different friends.

 
You can get all kinds of healthy stuff at fast food places if you look for it. McDonalds has a southwestern salad only about 400 cal that fills you up pretty nicely. Panera is another place with a lot of good options.

 
As far as the booze goes, I think the reduction happens naturally once you start eating well and seeing the results. You realize how a night out drinking torpedoes the success you had. You just end up eating like crap when you're hungover. Almost impossible to eat well that next day. Once you see the cost of boozing you begin to ease up.

 
Today I've eaten a little granola, unsweetened almond milk, black coffee, spinach, banana, carrots, blueberries, raw pumpkin seeds, cucumber and unsweetened coconut. That's it. Dinner will be chicken breast, carrots and zucchini. No oils. Maybe an apple and natural peanut butter later on. Nothing else. My BP is 110/70. I used to have borderline high cholesterol, now it's normal. I'm 6'0" 181. I'd like to get to about 170-172, I look and feel best at that weight. I've cheated a bunch this fall with pizza or burger or chips here and there. I'm back on the wagon though. It's not easy but I know I can do it. I'm not trying to brag or make you feel bad, just showing you, at least for me, what it takes to be at my healthiest. My goal is to be back in fighting shape by Feb 1. I hate it when I feel soft in the middle, I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be at your weight. It's like carrying 2 forty pound saddle bags on each hip. Just imagine what you'd feel like if you got back down to a healthy weight. It'd be amazing.
I honestly would rather be obese and die early than eat like that. You are completely on the other end of the extreme.

 
You can get all kinds of healthy stuff at fast food places if you look for it. McDonalds has a southwestern salad only about 400 cal that fills you up pretty nicely. Panera is another place with a lot of good options.
I eat out for lunch but get a chicken teriyaki vegetable bowl with about a 1/2 cup of rice and sweet teriyaki sauce on the side which I use sparingly. I throw a ton of sriracha sauce on there and it fills me up (that's all I have all day until dinner except a Pure Protein bar if I get hungry).

 
Today I've eaten a little granola, unsweetened almond milk, black coffee, spinach, banana, carrots, blueberries, raw pumpkin seeds, cucumber and unsweetened coconut. That's it. Dinner will be chicken breast, carrots and zucchini. No oils. Maybe an apple and natural peanut butter later on. Nothing else. My BP is 110/70. I used to have borderline high cholesterol, now it's normal. I'm 6'0" 181. I'd like to get to about 170-172, I look and feel best at that weight. I've cheated a bunch this fall with pizza or burger or chips here and there. I'm back on the wagon though. It's not easy but I know I can do it. I'm not trying to brag or make you feel bad, just showing you, at least for me, what it takes to be at my healthiest. My goal is to be back in fighting shape by Feb 1. I hate it when I feel soft in the middle, I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be at your weight. It's like carrying 2 forty pound saddle bags on each hip. Just imagine what you'd feel like if you got back down to a healthy weight. It'd be amazing.
I honestly would rather be obese and die early than eat like that. You are completely on the other end of the extreme.
Agree and most skinny people don't eat like that.

 
Today I've eaten a little granola, unsweetened almond milk, black coffee, spinach, banana, carrots, blueberries, raw pumpkin seeds, cucumber and unsweetened coconut. That's it. Dinner will be chicken breast, carrots and zucchini. No oils. Maybe an apple and natural peanut butter later on. Nothing else. My BP is 110/70. I used to have borderline high cholesterol, now it's normal. I'm 6'0" 181. I'd like to get to about 170-172, I look and feel best at that weight. I've cheated a bunch this fall with pizza or burger or chips here and there. I'm back on the wagon though. It's not easy but I know I can do it. I'm not trying to brag or make you feel bad, just showing you, at least for me, what it takes to be at my healthiest. My goal is to be back in fighting shape by Feb 1. I hate it when I feel soft in the middle, I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be at your weight. It's like carrying 2 forty pound saddle bags on each hip. Just imagine what you'd feel like if you got back down to a healthy weight. It'd be amazing.
I honestly would rather be obese and die early than eat like that. You are completely on the other end of the extreme.
I'm really not. I'm drinking all of those ingredients (except the granola). It's delicious. The Blendtec is a life changer. There's no way i could eat those things with a fork. I forgot to put beets on that list. Had some beets today too.

 
I forgot to put beets on that list. Had some beets today too.
Beets are awesome and one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
beets/carrots/apples are the magic trio when it comes to cholesterol reduction. Eat (or drink in my case) those three things every day and your cholesterol numbers magically improve. Before last year I think I could count on one hand how many times in my life I ate beets. Now I eat them daily.

 
I forgot to put beets on that list. Had some beets today too.
Beets are awesome and one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
beets/carrots/apples are the magic trio when it comes to cholesterol reduction. Eat (or drink in my case) those three things every day and your cholesterol numbers magically improve. Before last year I think I could count on one hand how many times in my life I ate beets. Now I eat them daily.
Willie, what actual difference in terms of feeling healthy does a low cholesterol score make you feel? Like if your C-count is 250 vs 100 are you more lethargic? I'm just curious.

 
I think the OP can make improvements by eliminating all fast food except whatever the healthiest salad they have on their menu. Portion control is big, my previous post already highlighted how cocaine can help. I think he could also mix in some ecstasy on the weekends as typically when I'm on that I don't want to eat and I enjoy drinking lots of water which has health benefits.

I think those are the 3 keys for him though...Salads only at fast food restaurants, a line or two of cocaine before meals during the week and ecstasy on the weekends. A couple months of that and the weight will be flying off.

 
You can get all kinds of healthy stuff at fast food places if you look for it. McDonalds has a southwestern salad only about 400 cal that fills you up pretty nicely. Panera is another place with a lot of good options.
I eat out for lunch but get a chicken teriyaki vegetable bowl with about a 1/2 cup of rice and sweet teriyaki sauce on the side which I use sparingly. I throw a ton of sriracha sauce on there and it fills me up (that's all I have all day until dinner except a Pure Protein bar if I get hungry).
Another thing I would add: if you go into one of these burger joints and are just getting a grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and drink you are doing pretty darn good in my book. Way better than most folks do.

 
I forgot to put beets on that list. Had some beets today too.
Beets are awesome and one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
beets/carrots/apples are the magic trio when it comes to cholesterol reduction. Eat (or drink in my case) those three things every day and your cholesterol numbers magically improve. Before last year I think I could count on one hand how many times in my life I ate beets. Now I eat them daily.
Willie, what actual difference in terms of feeling healthy does a low cholesterol score make you feel? Like if your C-count is 250 vs 100 are you more lethargic? I'm just curious.
I think lower cholesterol comes with eating well and better health in general so you're going to feel like you have more energy. I can't say I feel a certain way based on a high cholesterol reading vs. a lower one. If me or anyone else is at their target weight, exercising daily, eating well, then you tend to sleep better, more alert, better mood, etc. The best part of being in shape is how you feel. Clothes fit better, you look better, people saying how good you look. That's what OP needs to become addicted to.

 
Today I've eaten a little granola, unsweetened almond milk, black coffee, spinach, banana, carrots, blueberries, raw pumpkin seeds, cucumber and unsweetened coconut. That's it. Dinner will be chicken breast, carrots and zucchini. No oils. Maybe an apple and natural peanut butter later on. Nothing else. My BP is 110/70. I used to have borderline high cholesterol, now it's normal. I'm 6'0" 181. I'd like to get to about 170-172, I look and feel best at that weight. I've cheated a bunch this fall with pizza or burger or chips here and there. I'm back on the wagon though. It's not easy but I know I can do it. I'm not trying to brag or make you feel bad, just showing you, at least for me, what it takes to be at my healthiest. My goal is to be back in fighting shape by Feb 1. I hate it when I feel soft in the middle, I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be at your weight. It's like carrying 2 forty pound saddle bags on each hip. Just imagine what you'd feel like if you got back down to a healthy weight. It'd be amazing.
I honestly would rather be obese and die early than eat like that. You are completely on the other end of the extreme.
Lol was totally thinking the same thing. That days meals reads like the ingredients on the side of a bag of dog food.lol

 
Gonna reply to a few of these before recapping the night

Willie Neslon...............the difference between you and I is, I'm not trying to get down to my "fighting weight". I'm just trying to lose weight, get in better shape, and live.

Somebody mentioned drinking lots of water and all of the "stuff" in my intestines. I drink a ton of water. I've often said it's all that is keeping me alive and probably preventing me from being 350 instead of 260. As far as regularity, I "clear the bowels" 3 times daily. Probably one of my few healthy habits. I'm sure maybe I could use more fiber in my diet, but clearing the bowels has never been an issue. I'm not sure if stuff is still building up on the intestine walls and all of that or no. I hear the informercials.

As for the fast food/eating out, I have plenty of fit/healthy friends that don't live the life of a vegan or anything crazy. They still go out to dinner. They don't eat as much as I do and I'm sure there's more self control in their drinking. I used to have a close friend a few years older than me and he would do fast food with us a bunch when we were golfing or something, but he'd always do the grilled chicken/no fries/water or ice tea option. Had a job that kept him more active than I, but was never in bad shape.

I'm not trying to get in "run a marathon" shape, or get washboard abs, or anything like that. If I could go from a 42 to a 32 or 34 waist, I'd be ecstatic. If I could get off my meds, I'd be super happy. If I was exercising regularly and had more energy, that would be awesome.

Today wasn't as bad as I imagined. My kids basketball game helped tremendously because by the time I got home for the most part the party was over. I had one glass of cab tonight, and that was it. I did not eat dinner before the game, came home, just ate the meat snacks for the most part, half dozen meatballs, few little smokies. My mother in law made a whole batch of fudge, which is one of my favorites, had a small piece and 2 or 3 crackers with my wife's spinach dip and that was it. Like Saturday, not perfect, but much better choices. One drink was a major victory. Should be able to get on a more serious track the rest of the week I think.

 
Meat snacks

Meatballs

Smokies

Fudge

Spinach dip

Cab

Long ways to go before you're at not perfect but much better choices.

 
Gonna reply to a few of these before recapping the night

Willie Neslon...............the difference between you and I is, I'm not trying to get down to my "fighting weight". I'm just trying to lose weight, get in better shape, and live.

Somebody mentioned drinking lots of water and all of the "stuff" in my intestines. I drink a ton of water. I've often said it's all that is keeping me alive and probably preventing me from being 350 instead of 260. As far as regularity, I "clear the bowels" 3 times daily. Probably one of my few healthy habits. I'm sure maybe I could use more fiber in my diet, but clearing the bowels has never been an issue. I'm not sure if stuff is still building up on the intestine walls and all of that or no. I hear the informercials.

As for the fast food/eating out, I have plenty of fit/healthy friends that don't live the life of a vegan or anything crazy. They still go out to dinner. They don't eat as much as I do and I'm sure there's more self control in their drinking. I used to have a close friend a few years older than me and he would do fast food with us a bunch when we were golfing or something, but he'd always do the grilled chicken/no fries/water or ice tea option. Had a job that kept him more active than I, but was never in bad shape.

I'm not trying to get in "run a marathon" shape, or get washboard abs, or anything like that. If I could go from a 42 to a 32 or 34 waist, I'd be ecstatic. If I could get off my meds, I'd be super happy. If I was exercising regularly and had more energy, that would be awesome.

Today wasn't as bad as I imagined. My kids basketball game helped tremendously because by the time I got home for the most part the party was over. I had one glass of cab tonight, and that was it. I did not eat dinner before the game, came home, just ate the meat snacks for the most part, half dozen meatballs, few little smokies. My mother in law made a whole batch of fudge, which is one of my favorites, had a small piece and 2 or 3 crackers with my wife's spinach dip and that was it. Like Saturday, not perfect, but much better choices. One drink was a major victory. Should be able to get on a more serious track the rest of the week I think.
You take three dumps a day?

 

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