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

[Steve Tasker]

-If I do eat pizza, I don't have to hit 4 plain slices. 2 will do.

-If I get a sandwich out that is high in calories. I will do 1/2 for dinner and 1/2 for lunch

The big thing for me is how fast I eat. I have a tendency to eat way too fast and eat multiple helpings of something, when I really shouldn't. I try to force myself to sit for 5-10 minutes before taking a second helping of something, and I've noticed it cuts down my overeating substantially. Sometimes I still go back for seconds, maybe I didn't get enough the first time....but more often than not I don't go back for seconds at all.

 

[Buck Bradcanon]

I posted it upthread but thought I'd share again the reddit progress pics forum. Lots of folks like us with really great success stories over varying lengths of time..some very fast.

Motivates me a bit seeing others that have done it, obviously some of whom had far more to lose than I do!

 

[parasaurolophus]

I'm getting on board here. And I'm the poster child for failure in this stuff...

I had a haunting thought last night. I'm about to turn 40; history of heart disease in the family (killed my grandfather in his 50s; my dad has had multiple but modern medicine and pharma have managed it such that he is thankfully still with us). I imagined my wife having to explain to my 5 year old daughter that daddy is in heaven and that she'll never see me again. If that's not reason enough to drop 20-30lbs and be as healthy as I should be, nothing will do it.

Anyway, thanks for the great stories. I'm on board. Good luck Gussy.

When I was younger my dad got to a point where he couldn't do anything physical due to issues from being overweight. He couldn't play basketball, go for a bike ride, hike, etc. My dad couldn't even come into the ocean for fear that a wave would basically take out his knees.

He had an office above the garage that eventually became his personal mancave as well. He eventually got so heavy that he would just yell for us to go get him food. He basically became a hermit. A very obese hermit.

So sure death can scare people straight so to speak, but I don't really buy that since it is incredibly unlikely that you would die when your daughter is 5. I think you know that too. Pretty hard for a reality that you really don't see as a possibility to affect your life.

Far more likely that you will suffer a serious lack of mobility due to health issues that come from being overweight. These will lead to a sedentary household and a roadmap of unhealthy living for your daughter, possibly dooming her to weight issues her whole life. That for me was the biggest motivation factor to get my butt back in gear years ago. I didnt want to be the dad that couldnt get outside and run around in the yard.

 

[Buck Bradcanon]

I posted it upthread but thought I'd share again the reddit progress pics forum. Lots of folks like us with really great success stories over varying lengths of time..some very fast.

Motivates me a bit seeing others that have done it, obviously some of whom had far more to lose than I do!

I like this one. Guy shed 86 pounds in 9 months.

 

[James Daulton]

Not being fat rules.

 

[themeanmachine]

Biggest thing I learned last week was that hunger does indeed work in waves. It does not simply build and build. I think that lesson is far more valuable than the 1.6 pounds of fat I lost.

I've also been trying intermittent fasting, using the 5:2 plan (eat only 500 calories 2 days per week, eat normal the other 5 days), and this has been a big thing for me to learn as well. I think most of us tend to assume that hunger just gets worse and worse until you're ready to gnaw your arm off, but it doesn't work that way. I eat all 500 of my calories at dinner, and on those days sometimes I have some raging hunger at noon, but then it subsides, and it's really not as bad as I think it will be in the late afternoon. I still don't look forward to the 500 calorie days, but I don't dread them. The day after I'll sometimes not eat until lunch even though it's a normal eating day, just to extend the fasting period.

I also tell myself that hunger is a good feeling - it's the feeling of my body burning fat. Turning it into a positive instead of thinking of it as suffering.

 

[mphtrilogy]

Weighed in for the Month, Lost 4 lbs from Jan 4th. Pretty happy with that. I am going to skip the weekly weigh in and go to the Monthly weigh in so I can focus on the big picture of counting calories daily, exercising daily and making better choices.

I have been using the "lose-It" app to log my calorie count every day, that is helping me keep honest. Set a goal of 1lb a week to drop 25lbs and take it from there.

Couple of tweaks for me over the past few weeks, I am trying to drink 2 glasses of water "before" I eat any breakfast, help me feel full so I don't eat too many carbs for breakfast. I am not a morning protein guy, or a morning shake guy, so this works for me so far for limiting too many carbs. Usually high fiber flakes (trader joe's flax plus) or a home-made whole wheat raisin bran muffin (2), weekend waffles (1.5) or weekend pancakes (2).

Focusing on eating minimum of 5 fruits and veggies, preferably over 5 per day. Usually a banana (breakfast) , orange (10am snack), apple (lunch), celery (lunch), carrots (pm snack), romaine/tomato salad (dinner), mixed frozen veggies (dinner) most days. Makes me feel full at the end of the night to stop from any bad cravings. Provided that I hit the water intake hard that day. I Mix in some strawberries or grapes for nightly dessert when I have them around. For dinner dessert I also have ~ 6-7 Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps (~ 130cals) or a handful of Trader Joe's reduced fat cat cookies (~200cals) during the week for my sweet tooth fix. I am not a guy who can give up all the sweets. For the weekend, I try to make some lower cal cookie or dessert for fun. I stay away from anything fried, and have started to mix in whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta where I can.

I also try to have a small handful of almonds with my breakfast, and sometimes another small handful of almonds in the late morning or afternoon. It takes the edge off the craving and I have read a lot of good things about almonds, so I consider that a healthy snack in limited amount, because they are 7 calories/almond and can add up.

I also have been trying to up my game in the kitchen and am making a lot more of my own meals from scratch, trying for some things I like by making it from scratch. I am a huge fan of pizza, so I took a crack at pizza dough, and I usually make my own pizza on the pizza stone and cast iron skillet. This way I can control the toppings and cheese and keep them on the lower cal side. I made a batch of lower cal sauce (used some carrots instead of any sugar) and reduced fat meatballs (baked with high lean beef) yesterday as well. I am trying to tweak recipes by substituting egg whites for eggs, apple sauce for sugar and whole wheat flour for regular flour where I can.

I also found some good recipes for oatmeal cookies that help me with my cookie cravings. Still have a tendency to eat too many of them, but I know that I can continue to work on that in the long run. In the short run, they have all original ingredients with lower sugar, so it's a start.

Here's a quick recipe I found from myfitness pal newsletter for some morning breakfast bites:

Oatmeal Banana Ch Chip bites:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a non-stick cookie sheet

Combine these ingredients in a bowl:

- Mash two (2) ripe bananas,

- Then add a tablespoon of apple sauce, stir together

- Then add 1 cup of oatmeal quick oats uncooked,

- Then add 1/4 cup raisins or 1/4 cup of ch chips or both .

Bake for ~ 20 minutes at 350.

You can tweak to your liking, I like them a little more well done, so that's why I go 20 mins, you might like them a little less done, try 18 mins. Some folks add a dab of yogurt instead of apple sauce, or skip the apple sauce or the yogurt and just use banana, oatmeal and raisins/or chchips.

These are around 90-100 calories each with ~ 2grams fiber/protein per serving. They taste great, have no added sugar and only 3/4 ingredients.

Keep fighting the good fight...

 

[Sabertooth]

Biggest thing I learned last week was that hunger does indeed work in waves. It does not simply build and build. I think that lesson is far more valuable than the 1.6 pounds of fat I lost.

I've also been trying intermittent fasting, using the 5:2 plan (eat only 500 calories 2 days per week, eat normal the other 5 days), and this has been a big thing for me to learn as well. I think most of us tend to assume that hunger just gets worse and worse until you're ready to gnaw your arm off, but it doesn't work that way. I eat all 500 of my calories at dinner, and on those days sometimes I have some raging hunger at noon, but then it subsides, and it's really not as bad as I think it will be in the late afternoon. I still don't look forward to the 500 calorie days, but I don't dread them. The day after I'll sometimes not eat until lunch even though it's a normal eating day, just to extend the fasting period. I also tell myself that hunger is a good feeling - it's the feeling of my body burning fat. Turning it into a positive instead of thinking of it as suffering.

i have decided to not consume any calories for 24 hours. So just black coffee and water for me. What is the verdict on the 600 calorie thing? Seems like a cheat to me and part of me want the pain of hunger for the very reason you mentioned. I feel like if I skip the 600 calories twice a week, every three weeks it's an extra pound off. Also in the interest of setting a habit, I figured if I can plug through and acclimate my body to zero calories for 24 hour stretches it won't be very hard. Is there any reason other than making the fast easier for me to eat the 500-600 calories during the 24 hours?

 

[themeanmachine]

Biggest thing I learned last week was that hunger does indeed work in waves. It does not simply build and build. I think that lesson is far more valuable than the 1.6 pounds of fat I lost.

I've also been trying intermittent fasting, using the 5:2 plan (eat only 500 calories 2 days per week, eat normal the other 5 days), and this has been a big thing for me to learn as well. I think most of us tend to assume that hunger just gets worse and worse until you're ready to gnaw your arm off, but it doesn't work that way. I eat all 500 of my calories at dinner, and on those days sometimes I have some raging hunger at noon, but then it subsides, and it's really not as bad as I think it will be in the late afternoon. I still don't look forward to the 500 calorie days, but I don't dread them. The day after I'll sometimes not eat until lunch even though it's a normal eating day, just to extend the fasting period. I also tell myself that hunger is a good feeling - it's the feeling of my body burning fat. Turning it into a positive instead of thinking of it as suffering.

i have decided to not consume any calories for 24 hours. So just black coffee and water for me. What is the verdict on the 600 calorie thing? Seems like a cheat to me and part of me want the pain of hunger for the very reason you mentioned. I feel like if I skip the 600 calories twice a week, every three weeks it's an extra pound off. Also in the interest of setting a habit, I figured if I can plug through and acclimate my body to zero calories for 24 hour stretches it won't be very hard. Is there any reason other than making the fast easier for me to eat the 500-600 calories during the 24 hours?

I think it's just to make the fast easier, but if you can swing the 2 days a week with 0 calories, all the better. To me, the key to it is what's happening the other 5 days. In the book that was originally written about it, which was based off of a BBC special, he says you can just go nuts on the other 5 days and eat whatever you want. I found when I did that, I didn't gain weight, but I didn't lose. I took a break from it for a while, and just started up again, being careful with what I eat and how much on the other 5 days. So far so good, but I haven't been weighing myself, so no metrics to go by.

 

[Tick]

Myfitnesspal confused me today. Apparently, I reached the goal I set long ago when I first started using the app when I hit 170.0 pounds this morning. As a result, it gave me a calorie budget of 2100 to maintain my weight instead of the 1640 I had to lose a pound per week.

I recalibrated and set my goal to 160, which dropped my calorie budget to 1600. 170 is a reasonable weight for me if I'm in shape, but I'm not currently (only legs and aerobic - need better core and upper body). I've got an injury keeping me from getting in better shape, so I may as well take some more bad weight off before putting good weight back on once I'm injury-free.

 

[Ray Karpis]

Ordered Advocare 24-day tonight. Did it last year and lost 15 lbs. Also starting a 30-minute dumbbell HIIT program in the morning. Going to do it 4 days/week until I get some strength and conditioning back the will move into a more traditional program.

 

[boots11234]

So I'm down to 230.2. Yesterday I was 229.2 so I've broken the 230 marker!! For food I had:

Meal one:

Apple, orange, cashews.

Meal two:

Smoked salmon, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, kimshi.

Meal three: smoked salmon and kimshi. Bowl homemade miso soup with tofu and seaweed.

I'm lucky as I work from home and can prepare all meals. I'm guessing I went up a bit because of all the salt in the smoked salmon. Not worried. Just need to stick to the plan

Walked on treadmill 30 minutes. Drank 2 gallons water.

I have colitis so I've been doing a lot of reading about probiotics. The more I read the more I am persuaded that most auto immune diseases start in the gut. Colitis, arthritis, psoriasis, and many others have their origin in the gut. I also read that healthy gut flora leads to proper digestion and weight loss . So I am currently making homemade kefir and have ingredients to make sauerkraut and beet kvass. Both are loaded with probiotics as well as the kefir.

I heard straight beet kvass tastes awful so I'm making mine using a recipe that pro ports to taste better. It is 1/3 cabbage, a slice of onion, beets and salt. Let it sit for 3 to 7 days and bamb good kvass. I'll report back on the taste.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

 

[comfortably numb]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Not sure if i should praise you for doing this on a leap month or condemn you for doing it on the shortest month of the year?

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Not sure if i should praise you for doing this on a leap month or condemn you for doing it on the shortest month of the year?

HA!

I thought I was all smart for doing my "month" of hardcore dieting in Feb (specially after my bday is Jan 31st). I been 'working' on what my diet would be for about two weeks. It wasn't until about three days ago that I realized this was a leap year.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

 

[Jayded]

I haven't read the entire thread but would encourage people starting to take the journey to hire a trainer or nutritionist to get the basics going and kick start you in the right direction. I've struggled myself in not following through with stuff I know I should or calling things "diets" for the beach, etc, and not really embracing the lifestyle change it takes.

What I've found in very simple terms with my trainer is fundamental guidance and accountability for the exercise part, but he's also been good at helping me realize my own failures in the food side of the equation that ails others as well: start thinking of changes as lifestyles but not one big bite. Where people get caught is they pick a day and then go hardcore for a month or longer and then return to bad habits since they see it as a period "to be good".

What worked for me is him asking me to make the changes at those moments I catch myself asking myself if I should; hear his voice reminding me of this then and make a different choice. That doesn't mean throw every cookie in the world away, but have one or a few once in a while but when you hit that moment if "should I really have any more" make the choice to walk away. Just that one choice in that day saves you X calories and doing that over time and across multiple conversations with yourself starts making that change seem small and gradual so it doesn't feel punitive.

 

[Peak]

I used to do the Kickstart every morning as well, but I've recently kicked it out of my morning routine. My normal routine was a Kickstart and a poptart for breakfast. I've started going straight water and a protein/vitamin shake in the morning. I thought since KS only had 80 calories, it couldn't be all that bad. But that mixed with my sweet tooth, I've gained more than I've maintained over the last 6 months. Taking that out of rotation and just drinking water more has helped me feel better in the mornings. I was still sluggish after the KS.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

 

[Chadstroma]

I used to do the Kickstart every morning as well, but I've recently kicked it out of my morning routine. My normal routine was a Kickstart and a poptart for breakfast. I've started going straight water and a protein/vitamin shake in the morning. I thought since KS only had 80 calories, it couldn't be all that bad. But that mixed with my sweet tooth, I've gained more than I've maintained over the last 6 months. Taking that out of rotation and just drinking water more has helped me feel better in the mornings. I was still sluggish after the KS.

Agreed. Absolutely 100%. However....

One battle at a time or I will end up losing the war. Again.

 

[James Daulton]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

 

[NREC34]

Monster lo-carb energy drink for me for breakfast. 25 cal

 

[RUSF18]

I used to do the Kickstart every morning as well, but I've recently kicked it out of my morning routine. My normal routine was a Kickstart and a poptart for breakfast. I've started going straight water and a protein/vitamin shake in the morning. I thought since KS only had 80 calories, it couldn't be all that bad. But that mixed with my sweet tooth, I've gained more than I've maintained over the last 6 months. Taking that out of rotation and just drinking water more has helped me feel better in the mornings. I was still sluggish after the KS.

Agreed. Absolutely 100%. However....

One battle at a time or I will end up losing the war. Again.

What do you think was your typical daily calorie intake before this? Let's say on a day when you're trying to be "good" but not necessarily very healthy, and not days when you know you're definitely eating poorly.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

 

[Chadstroma]

I used to do the Kickstart every morning as well, but I've recently kicked it out of my morning routine. My normal routine was a Kickstart and a poptart for breakfast. I've started going straight water and a protein/vitamin shake in the morning. I thought since KS only had 80 calories, it couldn't be all that bad. But that mixed with my sweet tooth, I've gained more than I've maintained over the last 6 months. Taking that out of rotation and just drinking water more has helped me feel better in the mornings. I was still sluggish after the KS.

Agreed. Absolutely 100%. However....

One battle at a time or I will end up losing the war. Again.

What do you think was your typical daily calorie intake before this? Let's say on a day when you're trying to be "good" but not necessarily very healthy, and not days when you know you're definitely eating poorly.

Geez. I haven't tried to be "good" in I don't know how long which is why I am the size of an NFL lineman right now. I would say that 3K calories a day would likely be an average.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

OK, I hear you Chad. Listen, I've been there. Was all of 300 at one point about 7-8 years ago. Still have returns into the 260-275 range at times and then panic and start dieting quickly. It's not good. I hear you that you need something to stick to.

You are a sugar addict like the rest of us. Eat more fruits n veggies, lean cuts of meat, few nice steaks thrown in, 10-12 glasses of water daily minimum, and can we work in a leisure 15-20 min walk just to get started? You can do it Chad, pulling for you.

 

[RUSF18]

I used to do the Kickstart every morning as well, but I've recently kicked it out of my morning routine. My normal routine was a Kickstart and a poptart for breakfast. I've started going straight water and a protein/vitamin shake in the morning. I thought since KS only had 80 calories, it couldn't be all that bad. But that mixed with my sweet tooth, I've gained more than I've maintained over the last 6 months. Taking that out of rotation and just drinking water more has helped me feel better in the mornings. I was still sluggish after the KS.

Agreed. Absolutely 100%. However....

One battle at a time or I will end up losing the war. Again.

What do you think was your typical daily calorie intake before this? Let's say on a day when you're trying to be "good" but not necessarily very healthy, and not days when you know you're definitely eating poorly.

Geez. I haven't tried to be "good" in I don't know how long which is why I am the size of an NFL lineman right now. I would say that 3K calories a day would likely be an average.

I have no doubt you can stick to the plan for the month and drop pounds, but at your weight and seemingly with issues in the past, I think it's a pretty strong bet that you'll have less long term success with this approach. Like was said earlier, adding another 500 calories would basically make it a lifestyle change instead of a really drastic diet. You can still drop a lot of weight at 1500 calories/day.

Just my 2c as a guy who was once 330 and is now 189.

 

[boots11234]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs. I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Before and after pics don't lie fatty.

 

[boots11234]

I used to do the Kickstart every morning as well, but I've recently kicked it out of my morning routine. My normal routine was a Kickstart and a poptart for breakfast. I've started going straight water and a protein/vitamin shake in the morning. I thought since KS only had 80 calories, it couldn't be all that bad. But that mixed with my sweet tooth, I've gained more than I've maintained over the last 6 months. Taking that out of rotation and just drinking water more has helped me feel better in the mornings. I was still sluggish after the KS.

Agreed. Absolutely 100%. However....One battle at a time or I will end up losing the war. Again.

What do you think was your typical daily calorie intake before this? Let's say on a day when you're trying to be "good" but not necessarily very healthy, and not days when you know you're definitely eating poorly.

Geez. I haven't tried to be "good" in I don't know how long which is why I am the size of an NFL lineman right now. I would say that 3K calories a day would likely be an average.

I have no doubt you can stick to the plan for the month and drop pounds, but at your weight and seemingly with issues in the past, I think it's a pretty strong bet that you'll have less long term success with this approach. Like was said earlier, adding another 500 calories would basically make it a lifestyle change instead of a really drastic diet. You can still drop a lot of weight at 1500 calories/day. Just my 2c as a guy who was once 330 and is now 189.

Wow that's a lot of weight to lose. Did you have to have any skin removed? Congrats by the way.

 

[RUSF18]

Thanks. The vast majority of it was about 13 years ago, I went from 330 to 210 or so. Some loose skin still and my body is generally a disaster because my muscle definition is non existent. It ain't a pretty sight but at least I look a lot better clothed now.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

OK, I hear you Chad. Listen, I've been there. Was all of 300 at one point about 7-8 years ago. Still have returns into the 260-275 range at times and then panic and start dieting quickly. It's not good. I hear you that you need something to stick to.

You are a sugar addict like the rest of us. Eat more fruits n veggies, lean cuts of meat, few nice steaks thrown in, 10-12 glasses of water daily minimum, and can we work in a leisure 15-20 min walk just to get started? You can do it Chad, pulling for you.

Actually, not a sugar guy. I am a pasta/bread/hamburger guy. I much rather have another helping of lasagna than some cake and ice cream.

I am downing tons of water as it helps take the edge of the hunger. Though I am in the bathroom every other 15 minutes.

My secondary goal is the exercise but I am not really worrying about it too much for Phase 1. My first thing is to lose weight and through that shrink and clean up my eating habits. As I lose the weight it will be easier for me to do more exercise as well. Towards the end of Feb I will review how the month went, how I feel and make adjustments to my eating- allowing for a more balanced/varied diet and then likely focus on more exercise. But I would like to try to get 15 minutes of some form of exercise in each day but if I don't (sometimes it is hard to do it by the time I get home and help with rounding the kids up for dinner/bedtime) I am not going to worry. For now.

 

[Chadstroma]

I used to do the Kickstart every morning as well, but I've recently kicked it out of my morning routine. My normal routine was a Kickstart and a poptart for breakfast. I've started going straight water and a protein/vitamin shake in the morning. I thought since KS only had 80 calories, it couldn't be all that bad. But that mixed with my sweet tooth, I've gained more than I've maintained over the last 6 months. Taking that out of rotation and just drinking water more has helped me feel better in the mornings. I was still sluggish after the KS.

Agreed. Absolutely 100%. However....

One battle at a time or I will end up losing the war. Again.

What do you think was your typical daily calorie intake before this? Let's say on a day when you're trying to be "good" but not necessarily very healthy, and not days when you know you're definitely eating poorly.

Geez. I haven't tried to be "good" in I don't know how long which is why I am the size of an NFL lineman right now. I would say that 3K calories a day would likely be an average.

I have no doubt you can stick to the plan for the month and drop pounds, but at your weight and seemingly with issues in the past, I think it's a pretty strong bet that you'll have less long term success with this approach. Like was said earlier, adding another 500 calories would basically make it a lifestyle change instead of a really drastic diet. You can still drop a lot of weight at 1500 calories/day.

Just my 2c as a guy who was once 330 and is now 189.

I agree. This is NOT sustainable. Which is why I have a defined time limit on it. I know for me that if I have a very rigid "Do this and this and this" each day of something that won't drive me nuts or be too much at one time then I can focus on the time goal of doing it this month.

After this month- next month will be different and I will change my goal. Eventually, I feel like I can ease up enough into healthy lifestyle but feel like I need to do it this way to get there. Most of the times I have tried to change before were trying to establish the "normal" healthy eating habits and that has failed for me over and over. This way, I hope I can focus on extreme and then be able to ease into a healthy sustained approach later. Or at least that is my theory.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

I gotta agree with this. 970 calories/day without any actual substance until dinner....good luck man.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs. I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Before and after pics don't lie fatty.

True but I should still lose a bunch of weight even if I broke down and had a hamburger one day.

Dang, my mouth just watered typing hamburger.

 

[James Daulton]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Believe me, I'm not trying to hate. I would love for you to be able to stick to this temporarily as you'd drop a #### load of weight. I just fear that you falling off the wagon may fracture a perfectly good road (jk, brother, jk).

Anyway, I'm happy to put some cash on this and I would trust you to tell the truth. Maybe your will power far exceeds mine. But, succeed or fail this month, how about you mix in some weight training the rest of the time so you can mold some of the muscle you're aiming to bring to the daylight. Nothing crazy, just some light resistance work at first.

How much do you want to bet? $50 via paypal enough? You can even average 1,000 calories over the month and I'd consider you to have won. Sound cool?

 

[cstu]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

I'd go with a bowl of plain steel cut (or Coach's Oats) oatmeal. It's good for you and will keeps you full for a long time.

 

[MAC_32]

No 320 lb person should consume less than 1k calories/day. If you increase the daily intake then make it two months you'll be in a better spot March 31.

 

[cstu]

The way I've come to look at it is this:

You didn't get fat overnight so you shouldn't plan to get thin overnight.

I've mentioned this before - consuming 100 calories less than you use every day will amount to 10 pounds lost every year. You can double or triple that (200-300 calories) to lose 20-30 pounds a year. In 3 years you can lose 100 pounds without a lot of effort...and best of all, it will be easy to keep off since you aren't making a radical change to your diet.

 

[NREC34]

The way I've come to look at it is this:

You didn't get fat overnight so you shouldn't plan to get thin overnight.

I've mentioned this before - consuming 100 calories less than you use every day will amount to 10 pounds lost every year. You can double or triple that (200-300 calories) to lose 20-30 pounds a year. In 3 years you can lose 100 pounds without a lot of effort...and best of all, it will be easy to keep off since you aren't making a radical change to your diet.

When your weight decreases though your calories you need to consume to keep losing goes down too. Not sure you are accounting for that.

Basically when you get down closer to where you want to be losing gets exponentially harder. That might be the situation where you try to do 900 calories. Not so much when you first start.

 

[boots11234]

The way I've come to look at it is this:

You didn't get fat overnight so you shouldn't plan to get thin overnight.

I've mentioned this before - consuming 100 calories less than you use every day will amount to 10 pounds lost every year. You can double or triple that (200-300 calories) to lose 20-30 pounds a year. In 3 years you can lose 100 pounds without a lot of effort...and best of all, it will be easy to keep off since you aren't making a radical change to your diet.

When your weight decreases though your calories you need to consume to keep losing goes down too. Not sure you are accounting for that. Basically when you get down closer to where you want to be losing gets exponentially harder. That might be the situation where you try to do 900 calories. Not so much when you first start.

I gotta think a dude weighing 320 loses 10 when he drops a duce.

 

[rascal]

The way I've come to look at it is this:

You didn't get fat overnight so you shouldn't plan to get thin overnight.

I've mentioned this before - consuming 100 calories less than you use every day will amount to 10 pounds lost every year. You can double or triple that (200-300 calories) to lose 20-30 pounds a year. In 3 years you can lose 100 pounds without a lot of effort...and best of all, it will be easy to keep off since you aren't making a radical change to your diet.

When your weight decreases though your calories you need to consume to keep losing goes down too. Not sure you are accounting for that.Basically when you get down closer to where you want to be losing gets exponentially harder. That might be the situation where you try to do 900 calories. Not so much when you first start.

I gotta think a dude weighing 320 loses 10 when he drops a duce.

hold on....

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Believe me, I'm not trying to hate. I would love for you to be able to stick to this temporarily as you'd drop a #### load of weight. I just fear that you falling off the wagon may fracture a perfectly good road (jk, brother, jk).

Anyway, I'm happy to put some cash on this and I would trust you to tell the truth. Maybe your will power far exceeds mine. But, succeed or fail this month, how about you mix in some weight training the rest of the time so you can mold some of the muscle you're aiming to bring to the daylight. Nothing crazy, just some light resistance work at first.

How much do you want to bet? $50 via paypal enough? You can even average 1,000 calories over the month and I'd consider you to have won. Sound cool?

Are you sure? A couple of days ago I thought it would be rough but that I could push through it. Now, 4 days into it- I am feeling that I have adjusted pretty well already. I am even more confident that I can roll the whole of Feb with my plan. It just feels like I would be taking money from you and not a bet. Now, obviously I have a ways to go but at this point, but I feel like the only way I fail is that some medical problem comes up and I have to eat differently (and there is no reason to expect that to happen).

I do plan on starting up some exercise. Some walking and light weights and then in March when I adjust my diet and up the calorie intake have more of a focus on setting up a exercise routine. This will be much more challenging to me, I think, than sticking to diets for a couple of reasons. 1) I have a bad back, bad knee and bad ankle that have derailed more than a couple of exercise programs in the past. 2) Time/responsibility issues. I am not a morning person and trying to set up a morning workout is automatic failure for me as I have tried many times before from when I was young and already athletic and many, many, many attempts to get back into shape before. So, I have to figure out something around work, commute and three small kids that need to be picked up and fed and ready for bed, etc. Obviously not impossible and many other people with the same challenges figure it out- so I will have to come up with a good plan for it.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

I'd go with a bowl of plain steel cut (or Coach's Oats) oatmeal. It's good for you and will keeps you full for a long time.

Hate Oatmeal.

I was thinking maybe a Greek Yogurt with some oats and flax seed mixed in would be a good alternative for me. Thoughts on that for March +?

 

[comfortably numb]

Not necessarily a weight loss item but a healthy item that promotes healthy pooping, good for your heart and even billed as a good colon cleaner.

Otis, you can add this to your 78 supplement pill routine.

I used this some time ago and just got me another package to start up again

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00013YYKS/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1454600064&sr=1&keywords=psyllium+husk

psyllium husk fiber supplement

It's basically Metamucil but imo better and more natural and doesn't contain any sugar for people considerate to carbs.

Just sprinkle this onto to anything you eat.

Mix with yogurt, sprinkle on a food you may eat that has sauce, toss some into your smoothie, add it to water and just gulp it....whatever.

The only thing I would say is don't eat too much early on, start with small increments as you will notice your poops are different and more compact.

This is a cheap item and easy to consume and any doctor will tell you a diet high in fiber has soooo many benefits...plus who doesn't like pooping??

This will make it glide out with ease!

 

[Chadstroma]

The way I've come to look at it is this:

You didn't get fat overnight so you shouldn't plan to get thin overnight.

I've mentioned this before - consuming 100 calories less than you use every day will amount to 10 pounds lost every year. You can double or triple that (200-300 calories) to lose 20-30 pounds a year. In 3 years you can lose 100 pounds without a lot of effort...and best of all, it will be easy to keep off since you aren't making a radical change to your diet.

I hear ya guys... I have tried it like what is suggested before. I have wanted to do something similar to what I am doing a couple of times before and my wife got me to change more along the lines of what you guys are saying for the same reasons and I ended up failing.

I am convinced that this is the best chance I have to actually making it work for me. I believe doing it this way will help me kind of reset and then make adjustments as I go to be more a balanced life long habit.

The reason for the weight is really two things #1) First and foremost was growing up a non-stop athlete. When I was a teen- I think I would average 6 hours of basketball a day. If I was not playing basketball, I was running or biking or playing football or swimming, you get the idea. The calorie intake for all of this was ridiculous. I had the same frame of 6'1'' but was well under 200LBS with very little fat and mostly lean muscle and bone. I remember my best friend and I would go to taco Tuesday's at Del Taco. We would easily take down 40 tacos between the two of us. Then, as life progressed and you can't spend nearly your whole day on a basketball court or swimming- I was less active but the eating habits remained. Add in #2) My back, knee and ankle issues made me less active and harder to get back into regular exercise.

So, the eating habits were never really changed. I have made many attempts to change the eating habits in the past and they ended in failure. I would drift back to eating quantity and not caring about quality. I feel like I can commit to the time frame and that it will be a blank canvas for me to paint the new picture for the future rather than change an existing picture as I have done in the past. I might be wrong... but I certainly have to try.

 

[James Daulton]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Believe me, I'm not trying to hate. I would love for you to be able to stick to this temporarily as you'd drop a #### load of weight. I just fear that you falling off the wagon may fracture a perfectly good road (jk, brother, jk).

Anyway, I'm happy to put some cash on this and I would trust you to tell the truth. Maybe your will power far exceeds mine. But, succeed or fail this month, how about you mix in some weight training the rest of the time so you can mold some of the muscle you're aiming to bring to the daylight. Nothing crazy, just some light resistance work at first.

How much do you want to bet? $50 via paypal enough? You can even average 1,000 calories over the month and I'd consider you to have won. Sound cool?

Are you sure? A couple of days ago I thought it would be rough but that I could push through it. Now, 4 days into it- I am feeling that I have adjusted pretty well already. I am even more confident that I can roll the whole of Feb with my plan. It just feels like I would be taking money from you and not a bet. Now, obviously I have a ways to go but at this point, but I feel like the only way I fail is that some medical problem comes up and I have to eat differently (and there is no reason to expect that to happen).

I do plan on starting up some exercise. Some walking and light weights and then in March when I adjust my diet and up the calorie intake have more of a focus on setting up a exercise routine. This will be much more challenging to me, I think, than sticking to diets for a couple of reasons. 1) I have a bad back, bad knee and bad ankle that have derailed more than a couple of exercise programs in the past. 2) Time/responsibility issues. I am not a morning person and trying to set up a morning workout is automatic failure for me as I have tried many times before from when I was young and already athletic and many, many, many attempts to get back into shape before. So, I have to figure out something around work, commute and three small kids that need to be picked up and fed and ready for bed, etc. Obviously not impossible and many other people with the same challenges figure it out- so I will have to come up with a good plan for it.

You have to average no more than 1,000 calories daily for 26 more days so I'm good with the bet.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Believe me, I'm not trying to hate. I would love for you to be able to stick to this temporarily as you'd drop a #### load of weight. I just fear that you falling off the wagon may fracture a perfectly good road (jk, brother, jk).

Anyway, I'm happy to put some cash on this and I would trust you to tell the truth. Maybe your will power far exceeds mine. But, succeed or fail this month, how about you mix in some weight training the rest of the time so you can mold some of the muscle you're aiming to bring to the daylight. Nothing crazy, just some light resistance work at first.

How much do you want to bet? $50 via paypal enough? You can even average 1,000 calories over the month and I'd consider you to have won. Sound cool?

Are you sure? A couple of days ago I thought it would be rough but that I could push through it. Now, 4 days into it- I am feeling that I have adjusted pretty well already. I am even more confident that I can roll the whole of Feb with my plan. It just feels like I would be taking money from you and not a bet. Now, obviously I have a ways to go but at this point, but I feel like the only way I fail is that some medical problem comes up and I have to eat differently (and there is no reason to expect that to happen).

I do plan on starting up some exercise. Some walking and light weights and then in March when I adjust my diet and up the calorie intake have more of a focus on setting up a exercise routine. This will be much more challenging to me, I think, than sticking to diets for a couple of reasons. 1) I have a bad back, bad knee and bad ankle that have derailed more than a couple of exercise programs in the past. 2) Time/responsibility issues. I am not a morning person and trying to set up a morning workout is automatic failure for me as I have tried many times before from when I was young and already athletic and many, many, many attempts to get back into shape before. So, I have to figure out something around work, commute and three small kids that need to be picked up and fed and ready for bed, etc. Obviously not impossible and many other people with the same challenges figure it out- so I will have to come up with a good plan for it.

You have to average no more than 1,000 calories daily for 26 more days so I'm good with the bet.

Ok then- it is on. Already skipped my Kickstart today (ran out and did not have time to grab one this morn) So, that is another 80 in my favor for the average.

 

[MAC_32]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Believe me, I'm not trying to hate. I would love for you to be able to stick to this temporarily as you'd drop a #### load of weight. I just fear that you falling off the wagon may fracture a perfectly good road (jk, brother, jk).

Anyway, I'm happy to put some cash on this and I would trust you to tell the truth. Maybe your will power far exceeds mine. But, succeed or fail this month, how about you mix in some weight training the rest of the time so you can mold some of the muscle you're aiming to bring to the daylight. Nothing crazy, just some light resistance work at first.

How much do you want to bet? $50 via paypal enough? You can even average 1,000 calories over the month and I'd consider you to have won. Sound cool?

Are you sure? A couple of days ago I thought it would be rough but that I could push through it. Now, 4 days into it- I am feeling that I have adjusted pretty well already. I am even more confident that I can roll the whole of Feb with my plan. It just feels like I would be taking money from you and not a bet. Now, obviously I have a ways to go but at this point, but I feel like the only way I fail is that some medical problem comes up and I have to eat differently (and there is no reason to expect that to happen).

I do plan on starting up some exercise. Some walking and light weights and then in March when I adjust my diet and up the calorie intake have more of a focus on setting up a exercise routine. This will be much more challenging to me, I think, than sticking to diets for a couple of reasons. 1) I have a bad back, bad knee and bad ankle that have derailed more than a couple of exercise programs in the past. 2) Time/responsibility issues. I am not a morning person and trying to set up a morning workout is automatic failure for me as I have tried many times before from when I was young and already athletic and many, many, many attempts to get back into shape before. So, I have to figure out something around work, commute and three small kids that need to be picked up and fed and ready for bed, etc. Obviously not impossible and many other people with the same challenges figure it out- so I will have to come up with a good plan for it.

You have to average no more than 1,000 calories daily for 26 more days so I'm good with the bet.

Ok then- it is on. Already skipped my Kickstart today (ran out and did not have time to grab one this morn) So, that is another 80 in my favor for the average.

If you're successful with the calorie consumption this month then you're going to have to continue to be very careful in March and possibly beyond. This few calories for that long of a time on someone of your size is not healthy, especially if you start exercising too. Your system will likely not handle the increased calorie consumption well if you bump it up much after this month ends. May create other problems too, but I'm just focusing on weight, as should be your focus right now.

 

[Chadstroma]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Believe me, I'm not trying to hate. I would love for you to be able to stick to this temporarily as you'd drop a #### load of weight. I just fear that you falling off the wagon may fracture a perfectly good road (jk, brother, jk).

Anyway, I'm happy to put some cash on this and I would trust you to tell the truth. Maybe your will power far exceeds mine. But, succeed or fail this month, how about you mix in some weight training the rest of the time so you can mold some of the muscle you're aiming to bring to the daylight. Nothing crazy, just some light resistance work at first.

How much do you want to bet? $50 via paypal enough? You can even average 1,000 calories over the month and I'd consider you to have won. Sound cool?

Are you sure? A couple of days ago I thought it would be rough but that I could push through it. Now, 4 days into it- I am feeling that I have adjusted pretty well already. I am even more confident that I can roll the whole of Feb with my plan. It just feels like I would be taking money from you and not a bet. Now, obviously I have a ways to go but at this point, but I feel like the only way I fail is that some medical problem comes up and I have to eat differently (and there is no reason to expect that to happen).

I do plan on starting up some exercise. Some walking and light weights and then in March when I adjust my diet and up the calorie intake have more of a focus on setting up a exercise routine. This will be much more challenging to me, I think, than sticking to diets for a couple of reasons. 1) I have a bad back, bad knee and bad ankle that have derailed more than a couple of exercise programs in the past. 2) Time/responsibility issues. I am not a morning person and trying to set up a morning workout is automatic failure for me as I have tried many times before from when I was young and already athletic and many, many, many attempts to get back into shape before. So, I have to figure out something around work, commute and three small kids that need to be picked up and fed and ready for bed, etc. Obviously not impossible and many other people with the same challenges figure it out- so I will have to come up with a good plan for it.

You have to average no more than 1,000 calories daily for 26 more days so I'm good with the bet.

Ok then- it is on. Already skipped my Kickstart today (ran out and did not have time to grab one this morn) So, that is another 80 in my favor for the average.

If you're successful with the calorie consumption this month then you're going to have to continue to be very careful in March and possibly beyond. This few calories for that long of a time on someone of your size is not healthy, especially if you start exercising too. Your system will likely not handle the increased calorie consumption well if you bump it up much after this month ends. May create other problems too, but I'm just focusing on weight, as should be your focus right now.

I will be upping my calories in March but not too much. I am thinking a target of around 1500 or so- basically slowly increase as I get closer to my goal weight to being more stable. With moderate exercise it looks like my calorie intake for maintenance at closer to my ideal weight at about 2500. I plan on adjusting up towards that over the next several months assuming successful and sustained exercise established.

 

[James Daulton]

Started my February weight loss program.

Every day will consist of:

Morning

Naked Juice- Protein and Greens = 210 calories

Mountain Dew Kickstarter = 80 calories (my indulgence, it would be rough for me to diet and try to kick my morning caffeine too)

Mid-Day

Slimfast- Creamy Chocolate = 180 calories

Evening

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts with some kicking Jalapeno sauce = roughly 500 calories

970 calories for the day. Try to do some exercise but not too worried about it. More likely come March when I see how things go I will adjust my eating and try to focus more on exercise. Not a 'perfect' plan but something I feel I can commit to and do for 29 days and should lose a good amount of weight.

Morning is all sugar. I would be careful of the Naked Juice. I bet it has as many grams of sugar or more than a soda pop and I bet it has ZERO grams of fiber. Eat 2 oranges instead or some other whole fruit. Can you do coffee with no sugar and light cream? Just some feedback or food for thought.

Yea, like I said- it is not a 'perfect' plan but it is something I believe I can stick to for 27 1/2 more days. Lots of sugar and no fiber in the Naked. Whole fruit is not very appealing to me in the morning (for whatever reason) other than banana and I can get sick of that real fast. I like smoothies. I picked Naked because I can grab one and go and if I try to make my own smoothies I will fail because I know more mornings than not I will just not do it.

I hate coffee so that is a no go. There are other/better diet options for me to get my caffeine fix in the morning but I like having a drink that lasts me through the morning.

I know there are problems with this plan but my big goal was to reduce my calorie intake greatly (goal was under 1K) and for it to be something that as drastic as it may be- I could stick with for 29 days.

Unless you're 5'0 and 125lbs with a totally sedentary lifestyle, I'd give you almost no chance of sticking to this. The only satiating thing you'll be taking in each day is the chicken breast. Why not at least up the calories 500 and throw in some eggs in the am, and potato at night? And if you get rid of that stupid shake and mix in a salad you'll probably be better off from a macro perspective as well.

6'1'' 321lbs.

I believe strongly I can stick to it. Wanna bet? (obviously you would have to trust me to tell the truth)

Believe me, I'm not trying to hate. I would love for you to be able to stick to this temporarily as you'd drop a #### load of weight. I just fear that you falling off the wagon may fracture a perfectly good road (jk, brother, jk).

Anyway, I'm happy to put some cash on this and I would trust you to tell the truth. Maybe your will power far exceeds mine. But, succeed or fail this month, how about you mix in some weight training the rest of the time so you can mold some of the muscle you're aiming to bring to the daylight. Nothing crazy, just some light resistance work at first.

How much do you want to bet? $50 via paypal enough? You can even average 1,000 calories over the month and I'd consider you to have won. Sound cool?

Are you sure? A couple of days ago I thought it would be rough but that I could push through it. Now, 4 days into it- I am feeling that I have adjusted pretty well already. I am even more confident that I can roll the whole of Feb with my plan. It just feels like I would be taking money from you and not a bet. Now, obviously I have a ways to go but at this point, but I feel like the only way I fail is that some medical problem comes up and I have to eat differently (and there is no reason to expect that to happen).

I do plan on starting up some exercise. Some walking and light weights and then in March when I adjust my diet and up the calorie intake have more of a focus on setting up a exercise routine. This will be much more challenging to me, I think, than sticking to diets for a couple of reasons. 1) I have a bad back, bad knee and bad ankle that have derailed more than a couple of exercise programs in the past. 2) Time/responsibility issues. I am not a morning person and trying to set up a morning workout is automatic failure for me as I have tried many times before from when I was young and already athletic and many, many, many attempts to get back into shape before. So, I have to figure out something around work, commute and three small kids that need to be picked up and fed and ready for bed, etc. Obviously not impossible and many other people with the same challenges figure it out- so I will have to come up with a good plan for it.

You have to average no more than 1,000 calories daily for 26 more days so I'm good with the bet.

Ok then- it is on. Already skipped my Kickstart today (ran out and did not have time to grab one this morn) So, that is another 80 in my favor for the average.

If you're successful with the calorie consumption this month then you're going to have to continue to be very careful in March and possibly beyond. This few calories for that long of a time on someone of your size is not healthy, especially if you start exercising too. Your system will likely not handle the increased calorie consumption well if you bump it up much after this month ends. May create other problems too, but I'm just focusing on weight, as should be your focus right now.

If you can stick to 1,000 calories per day, I'd bet between actual fat/muscle/water loss, you're down 25lbs by the end of February. If you mix in even light exercise I'd expect to see around 30lbs lost. Maybe you could give Oats and Zow some advice.