Posted: 2/11/2013 6:56:17 AM EDT
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I have been changing my diet and exercising more for the last few months.
I work on a tugboat 2 weeks on/off while we are tied up I try to get a 2 mile fast walk in everyday weather/work flow permitting. Breakfast is an english muffin with some peanut butter on it Lunch is a special K protein meal bar Dinner is whatever gets cooked but the whole crew is trying to eat better so the fried food is slowly turning over to baked/grilled/no butter or salt I also do some strength training with one of those rubber band things every other night While at home "biggest loser" 25 minute cardio max workout 5 days a week lift weights (15-25lbs) 3x a week breakfast is a special k protein bar lunch is a lean cuisine dinner is nearly always healthy, few fried foods more baked/grilled/no butter/salt. Turkey has replaced ground beef more chicken less beef and pork more rice less potatoes I keep fast food to a minimum no more chips diet sodas or water 1% milk I walk or ride my bike to near by places instead of driving I have lost 1 pound in the last 2 weeks 
I feel like im doing this for nothing and when I go to my doctor again today he will think that im still not doing anything while I assure him I am. 29yo 320 pounds |
| Sounds like you need to find out what you are really eating. A lot of the stuff you listed is still not good for you, and you don't say anything about how many calories you are consuming. And longer cardio. You are just getting warmed up 25 minutes in. Stretch it to 45 will burn a lot of calories |
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Avoid the "healthy" scams. You're loading yourself with sodium and carbs without balancing with fruits and veggies. You could be eating more food and losing more weight. English muffins are packed with carbs and sodium. You really need to read the labels on these before eating them. Some contain less sodium and more fiber. If you must eat them, at least choose the better option. However, I would recommend a truely filling and healthy breakfast. Look up a recipe for protein pancakes and put some fruit on the side. Scramble some egg whites with avacodo, onion, pepper, or whatever. Special K bars are ok for a snack, but it won't really keep you full. You could eat a salad filled with veggies with a low fat dressing or even grilled fish/chicken with a veggie side for lunch instead. Lean cuisines are awful. Packed with sodium and they won't keep you full. Also, for a 320 pound man a lean cusine is not going to cut it. Eating more food, but HEALTHY food, will boost your metabolism. Eating too small of an amount stalls your metabolism and curbs weight loss. Also keep in mind that while food substitutions are good, it doesn't give you freedom to eat as much as you want. You really need to keep track of not only calories, but fat, sodium, carbs, protien, and fiber. All of these numbers are important. I'd be more than willing to help you plan a menu if you need help. As far as exercise, more cardio. Do interval training with bursts of fast cardio mixed with low intensity. I would try to do at least 40 minutes of cardio with 20-25 mintues of weight training. This gives your body the optimal mix of weights and cardio. Also, mix up your exercise. I mix running, kick boxing, and spinning to confuse my muscles. If you always do the same thing, your body adjusts. |
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Don't be fooled into thinking you need to be eating low fat. Cut out processed garbage, eat whole, real foods (eggs, meats, veggies, fruit) this means no english muffin etc...go from there. This. Noted that there are not a lot of definite statements in your original post. Trying to do this, some thingies of that, "some" of another. Define and control what you are doing. I don't know what weight lifting you are doing at 15-25lbs, but it can't be much. Maybe try to actually challenge yourself? Instead of the Lean Cuisine for lunch, how about a half pound or pound of decent lunch meat- not crazy processed, but some turkey, ham, chicken, etc. Eat a little cheese (piece or two), eat some veggies. Push yourself more. Realize what real exertion is. You do it for work, right? Work on yourself. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Don't be fooled into thinking you need to be eating low fat. Cut out processed garbage, eat whole, real foods (eggs, meats, veggies, fruit) this means no english muffin etc...go from there. This. Noted that there are not a lot of definite statements in your original post. Trying to do this, some thingies of that, "some" of another. Define and control what you are doing. I don't know what weight lifting you are doing at 15-25lbs, but it can't be much. Maybe try to actually challenge yourself? Instead of the Lean Cuisine for lunch, how about a half pound or pound of decent lunch meat- not crazy processed, but some turkey, ham, chicken, etc. Eat a little cheese (piece or two), eat some veggies. Push yourself more. Realize what real exertion is. You do it for work, right? Work on yourself. Yep. OP- you cut out butter (which really isn't bad for you, although it is calorie dense) but your eating lean cuisine...look at the ingredients on that, it's not even food.
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Break you meals down to smaller portions so you eat every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day.
Rice is still carbs. Limit the amount of carbs in your diet. Prob should get past the 25 minute mark if you want your exercise to help with your weight loss. The and bump you 2 mile walk up to 5 miles. For most people, weight loss is 80% dietary intake..with the other 20% attributed to exercise. |
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Quoted: Break you meals down to smaller portions so you eat every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day. While this helps curb hunger for SOME people, for others it has the opposite effect. It also does nothing to increase metabolism contrary to popular belief. Rice is still carbs. Limit the amount of carbs in your diet. Prob should get past the 25 minute mark if you want your exercise to help with your weight loss. The and bump you 2 mile walk up to 5 miles. There are a few studies out there now showing that HIIT is superior for fat burning than LSD. Nothing inherently wrong with LSD, but HIIT offers more "bang for the buck" IMO. For most people, weight loss is 80% dietary intake..with the other 20% attributed to exercise. Yep. |
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Ok so I am eating the wrong stuff, that figures. I was going strictly on the fewest calories I can eat without feeling starved all day. So what should I eat?
And ya I guess I will have to do more exercising as well, I cant walk but so far away from the boat in case we get a call out, I guess ill do more laps. |
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Quoted: Ok so I am eating the wrong stuff, that figures. I was going strictly on the fewest calories I can eat without feeling starved all day. So what should I eat? And ya I guess I will have to do more exercising as well, I cant walk but so far away from the boat in case we get a call out, I guess ill do more laps. Like I said before, eat real , whole foods. Eggs, meat, veggies and fruit. Eat a LOT of veggies, 3/4 of your plate should be veggies. Think broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, brussels sprouts, asparagus, kale, squashes, beets, etc. Meat- the higher the quality the better (grass fed has real benefits if you can afford it, if not supplement with fish oil). Cut out things with a bunch of ingredients. Grains are empty cals, you really don't need them and there's some evidence that they are actually bad for you...they certainly will be counterproductive to weight loss. No sugar. NO SUGAR. That's it, it's pretty easy. Read up on the website I posted above.
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Ok so I am eating the wrong stuff, that figures. I was going strictly on the fewest calories I can eat without feeling starved all day. So what should I eat? And ya I guess I will have to do more exercising as well, I cant walk but so far away from the boat in case we get a call out, I guess ill do more laps. This is designed for me, a 5'7" 142 pound woman who works about relatively intensely at least an hour a day 6 days a week. So you'd have to adjust accordingly. Breakfast: Fruit, fruit, fruit. I incorporate it into every breakfast either on the side or as a main dish. I'm a big fan of grapes, cantelope, watermelon and bananas. I usually do a cup and a half if that's all I'm having. Protein pancakes. They will seem weird at first as far as consistency when making them. But I assure you that they're really good, really filling, and really healthy. I usually have two the size of my hand. If you're a fan of peanut butter, sometimes I top them with melted peanut butter and banana. But use the peanut butter in moderation! I'm also a big fan of nut butters as a substitute (almond butter especially). Eggs - especially egg whites. Scramble them up with some avacado, onions, and bell peppers. I usually do three egg whites. Lunch: My typical lunch is soup and salad. I usually go with brothy soups which are packed with veggies. Think tomato, vegetable, chicken noodle, beef barley, etc. The key is to make the soup yourself. Canned soups are typically loaded with sodium and processed. A cup to a cup and a half of soup is good. For the salad I go with mixed lettuce, spinach, cucumber, egg white, carrot, broccoli, and maybe a sprinkle of feta or bleu cheese. I almost always go with low fat vinegarette of some sort. Snack: Seems a little weird, but if I'm hungry between meals I go for a baked sweet potato. Don't make a gigantic one. A small one with a little nut butter is enough to do the trick and hold you over. DInner: Google will be your best friend for this. I always eat something different for dinner. Some favorites are roasted chicken, fajitas with tons of veggies and whole wheat tortillas, salmon with basil over whole wheat pasta, and stir frys. Veggies are key for sides with whatever you eat. Make half your plate veggies. Use rice and potatoes in moderation. A small side will do and give you the taste you want so you won't feel deprived. Really, the key is to eat what you like but in moderation. Depriving yourself by trying to eat the smallest amount of calories is not going to do the trick. Learn to eat the foods you love in ways that are modified to work with your weight loss goals. If you have any questions let me know 
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Quoted: Quoted: Ok so I am eating the wrong stuff, that figures. I was going strictly on the fewest calories I can eat without feeling starved all day. So what should I eat? And ya I guess I will have to do more exercising as well, I cant walk but so far away from the boat in case we get a call out, I guess ill do more laps. This is designed for me, a 5'7" 142 pound woman who works about relatively intensely at least an hour a day 6 days a week. So you'd have to adjust accordingly. Breakfast: Fruit, fruit, fruit. I incorporate it into every breakfast either on the side or as a main dish. I'm a big fan of grapes, cantelope, watermelon and bananas. I usually do a cup and a half if that's all I'm having. Protein pancakes. They will seem weird at first as far as consistency when making them. But I assure you that they're really good, really filling, and really healthy. I usually have two the size of my hand. If you're a fan of peanut butter, sometimes I top them with melted peanut butter and banana. But use the peanut butter in moderation! I'm also a big fan of nut butters as a substitute (almond butter especially). Eggs - especially egg whites. Scramble them up with some avacado, onions, and bell peppers. I usually do three egg whites. Lunch: My typical lunch is soup and salad. I usually go with brothy soups which are packed with veggies. Think tomato, vegetable, chicken noodle, beef barley, etc. The key is to make the soup yourself. Canned soups are typically loaded with sodium and processed. A cup to a cup and a half of soup is good. For the salad I go with mixed lettuce, spinach, cucumber, egg white, carrot, broccoli, and maybe a sprinkle of feta or bleu cheese. I almost always go with low fat vinegarette of some sort. Snack: Seems a little weird, but if I'm hungry between meals I go for a baked sweet potato. Don't make a gigantic one. A small one with a little nut butter is enough to do the trick and hold you over. DInner: Google will be your best friend for this. I always eat something different for dinner. Some favorites are roasted chicken, fajitas with tons of veggies and whole wheat tortillas, salmon with basil over whole wheat pasta, and stir frys. Veggies are key for sides with whatever you eat. Make half your plate veggies. Use rice and potatoes in moderation. A small side will do and give you the taste you want so you won't feel deprived. Really, the key is to eat what you like but in moderation. Depriving yourself by trying to eat the smallest amount of calories is not going to do the trick. Learn to eat the foods you love in ways that are modified to work with your weight loss goals. If you have any questions let me know Fruit is great, but too much can be counterproductive (Just clarifying, I'm sure you know this). Also, there is absolutely NO reason to remove the yolk. Fat doesn't make you fat, and there are great Omega-3 fatty acids in the yolk that your body needs. It won't even raise your cholesterol. Even whole wheat pasta is a waste of calories and doesn't do much good for you and possibly bad... Other than that, I agree with most of the rest. It's all about whole real food.
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Ok so I am eating the wrong stuff, that figures. I was going strictly on the fewest calories I can eat without feeling starved all day. So what should I eat? And ya I guess I will have to do more exercising as well, I cant walk but so far away from the boat in case we get a call out, I guess ill do more laps. This is designed for me, a 5'7" 142 pound woman who works about relatively intensely at least an hour a day 6 days a week. So you'd have to adjust accordingly. Breakfast: Fruit, fruit, fruit. I incorporate it into every breakfast either on the side or as a main dish. I'm a big fan of grapes, cantelope, watermelon and bananas. I usually do a cup and a half if that's all I'm having. Protein pancakes. They will seem weird at first as far as consistency when making them. But I assure you that they're really good, really filling, and really healthy. I usually have two the size of my hand. If you're a fan of peanut butter, sometimes I top them with melted peanut butter and banana. But use the peanut butter in moderation! I'm also a big fan of nut butters as a substitute (almond butter especially). Eggs - especially egg whites. Scramble them up with some avacado, onions, and bell peppers. I usually do three egg whites. Lunch: My typical lunch is soup and salad. I usually go with brothy soups which are packed with veggies. Think tomato, vegetable, chicken noodle, beef barley, etc. The key is to make the soup yourself. Canned soups are typically loaded with sodium and processed. A cup to a cup and a half of soup is good. For the salad I go with mixed lettuce, spinach, cucumber, egg white, carrot, broccoli, and maybe a sprinkle of feta or bleu cheese. I almost always go with low fat vinegarette of some sort. Snack: Seems a little weird, but if I'm hungry between meals I go for a baked sweet potato. Don't make a gigantic one. A small one with a little nut butter is enough to do the trick and hold you over. DInner: Google will be your best friend for this. I always eat something different for dinner. Some favorites are roasted chicken, fajitas with tons of veggies and whole wheat tortillas, salmon with basil over whole wheat pasta, and stir frys. Veggies are key for sides with whatever you eat. Make half your plate veggies. Use rice and potatoes in moderation. A small side will do and give you the taste you want so you won't feel deprived. Really, the key is to eat what you like but in moderation. Depriving yourself by trying to eat the smallest amount of calories is not going to do the trick. Learn to eat the foods you love in ways that are modified to work with your weight loss goals. If you have any questions let me know Fruit is great, but too much can be counterproductive (Just clarifying, I'm sure you know this). Also, there is absolutely NO reason to remove the yolk. Fat doesn't make you fat, and there are great Omega-3 fatty acids in the yolk that your body needs. It won't even raise your cholesterol. Even whole wheat pasta is a waste of calories and doesn't do much good for you and possibly bad... Other than that, I agree with most of the rest. It's all about whole real food. Fruit is great in moderation. But eating too much isn't good because of the sugar factor. I personally remove the yolks because I don't like the taste of them. It's definitely not necessary for weight loss. I'm a huge pasta fan (unfortunately) and I've found that eating whole wheat makes me feel much more full than white pasta. White or wheat is a waste of calories but if you're going to eat it you might as well get some fiber in there. I stand by everything in moderation and real food. All those "diet" foods are terrible. |
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Something that CAN work well for folks is a food diary. Write down every single thing you put in your mouth all day, everyday, including gum, mints, and coffee. It can be surprising when you look at it all in writing.
If that's too burdensome (it is for me), then try this instead: use your phone and take a photo of everything you eat or drink, all day, everyday. Then you have a record and you can go back and review it all with time/date stamps. Don't leave out snacks, sodas, 2nd helpings, etc. If you eat it, take a pic of it. Doing either of the above faithfully for a week should yield some clues as to how much you're actually consuming. |
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Ok so I am eating the wrong stuff, that figures. I was going strictly on the fewest calories I can eat without feeling starved all day. So what should I eat? And ya I guess I will have to do more exercising as well, I cant walk but so far away from the boat in case we get a call out, I guess ill do more laps. I just ate a half pound of roast beef and some swiss cheese. Half gallon of chocolate milk. I'm stuffed and no breads were involved. You can say I got carbs from the chocolate and cheese and lactose. But I also just finished my leg day in the gym. So take that for what it's worth. I usually just cook up some fish, chicken, beef, shrimp... and eat it. It's tasty and filling. I still take in a regular dose of carbs but then I'm not trying to lose weight. I still think it's probably less than all the processed crap you listed though. |
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Yolk is wonderful! Tastes great and is the healthiest part of the egg for you. Drives me nuts when you see "heart healthy" bullshit at restaurants that remove yolks. It actually lowers your cholesterol. Great fats and proteins.
I like mine sunnyside up but if I do that, there's usually toast involved. I tend to hard boil them or soft boil them if I want some yolky yumminess. The latter tends to get mold if left out too long. 
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Water should be a given, yessir.
Good general rule- unless you have to go in for some olive/coconut oil or seasonings, don't shop in the center aisles of the grocery store. Almost everything you need is typically around the outer perimeter- deli, eggs/dairy, meat case, produce, etc. are all around the perimeter. Concentrate on whole foods, drink plenty of water and tea. It's pretty easy once you set your mind to it and make it habit. |
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Break you meals down to smaller portions so you eat every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day. While this helps curb hunger for SOME people, for others it has the opposite effect. It also does nothing to increase metabolism contrary to popular belief. This is new. Point me to references on that? It has been stated over and over that one should eat multiple small meals to curb hunger and increase metabolism because when the body does not have intake of food it goes into conservation mode. OP - Great suggestions thus far. I agree that eating small meals throughout the day can have the opposite effect on hunger. It seems like I am more hungry when I do this and can then proceed to eat two Chipotle burritos and a juice and still feel empty enough to have a third and dessert! Sounds like you've consulted with your doctor about exercise so that is good. Agree also that LSD workouts are not as effective as HIIT for calorie burning. LSD workouts have their place, mostly recovery workouts unless going for a real long time. Push yourself 3x wk with exercise starting out. Check out the Rate of Perceived Exhaustion Charts. Should be about 7 on the hard days starting out. Make sure you get a great breakfast in. I know some people don't like a big breakfast but it is important to eat something more than a Special K bar and many studies find that those who eat a whole balanced breakfast are leaner than those who don't. Work your way up to it. It will provide fuel for the day. Drop pop/soda all together. Diet soda is being found to be worse than regular soda. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Break you meals down to smaller portions so you eat every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day. While this helps curb hunger for SOME people, for others it has the opposite effect. It also does nothing to increase metabolism contrary to popular belief. This is new. Point me to references on that? It has been stated over and over that one should eat multiple small meals to curb hunger and increase metabolism because when the body does not have intake of food it goes into conservation mode. My point is that there is zero evidence showing a boost in metabolism- I'm pretty sure there is a study showing it does nothing actually, but I don't remember where I saw it. IMO meal frequency is a personal preference thing, and should be based around whichever a person finds easier. I'll try to find that study. ETA- IIRC the body only enters conservation mode when it's starving- 4-5 hours isn't going to do it. |
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Actually there's quite a few studies on this: |
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I don't understand what this concept of "conservation" mode is. Your body is ALWAYS metabolizing chemicals to meet your body's needs. Whether it be food in the stomach and intestine or pulling chemicals from the liver or fat stores, etc. It doesn't just stop because you stopped eating. Your body is a storage vessel and it can constantly synthesize acids and nutrients by breaking down bonds of other chemicals and literally rebuilding them to form new ones.
Your body can divert more nutrients to critical functions like the heart and lungs if you're really starving but then you will have a whole host of problems. We're talking actual starvation, not skipping meals or 1 day fasts here. |
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Quoted: I'll play devil's advocate on the many small meals. Note, that I DO NOT eat many small meals, 5-7 times a day. I've been following the density bulking plan pretty steadily. However, it's dogma because it seems to work for a lot of people. Why would that be? Because some people feel more satiated on it, nothing more. For that reason it's a fine way to go, but if anyone thinks they are "jump starting" their metabolism they're mistaken. Personally I feel much more satiated on 3 normal meals a day, and sometimes a small snack. YMMV of course, and I think it's best to do whatever way is easiest.
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if you have a smart phone, download the my fitness pal app. every time you eat or drink anything you record it there. it even lets you scan bar codes. it really helped me to realize and keep track of what i eat also buy a food scale so you can accurately measure your food. |
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I'll play devil's advocate on the many small meals. Note, that I DO NOT eat many small meals, 5-7 times a day. I've been following the density bulking plan pretty steadily. However, it's dogma because it seems to work for a lot of people. Why would that be? It works for people who are eating mostly whole grains and fruit and are going through three hour cycles of high and low blood sugar. And by "works" I mean they're not completely miserable and not gaining a lot of weight if they're also exercising. Or you can eat a thousand calories of bacon and eggs and go all day on it, not exercise, and naturally move toward a healthy body weight. |
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I'll play devil's advocate on the many small meals. Note, that I DO NOT eat many small meals, 5-7 times a day. I've been following the density bulking plan pretty steadily. However, it's dogma because it seems to work for a lot of people. Why would that be? It works for people who are eating mostly whole grains and fruit and are going through three hour cycles of high and low blood sugar. And by "works" I mean they're not completely miserable and not gaining a lot of weight if they're also exercising. Or you can eat a thousand calories of bacon and eggs and go all day on it, not exercise, and naturally move toward a healthy body weight. Works, how? Can someone define what this "works" is? Are we talking losing weight or gaining weight? What's your baseline? If I had a definition, maybe it'd be discussion worthy. |
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if you have a smart phone, download the my fitness pal app. every time you eat or drink anything you record it there. it even lets you scan bar codes. it really helped me to realize and keep track of what i eat I have that and use it daily. I read the paleo thread in GD and im starting on that. I have been doing it for about a week now. I have cut out bread and grains and im snacking on apples and other fruit. I am still drinking milk because I love it and almond milk is gross. Chips are out, so are diet sodas I havent had either for a week. I have eaten some mashed potatoes and some rice but only a spoonful. Im having a hard time with snacking though im eating boiled eggs and fruit but I also have eaten some oreos and have been eating lunch meat like crazy. My options are limited here on the tug so im doing the best I can. I just hope and pray im not gaining weight its so hard for me to get it off the every extra pound is that much more torture ill have to endure. I have been drinking water like a champ so at least im flushing the system regularly. Im walking when we are at a dock im allowed to walk on and I have some small weights im using to built my arms a little. |