[firehawk]

Hi there! I am a male and I have recently (over the past year I guess) have unfortunately put on weight. I used to be slim no matter how much or what I eat but now I am putting on weight and I hate it. And to make things worse, my birthday was 2 weeks ago as well.

I am needing to lose weight but I am also very busy with work and what not (I have alot of other commitments too). Sure, I can be depressed for many reasons (not through a fault of my own) but I am a very positive and different person, had a good life changing experience a few years ago and have a better life now

the problem is.... weight. I just got some pictures someone took of me last weekend and damn, im so freakin ugly and.... well, can see the chubbiness.

I want to know:

what is the best way I can lose weight?
How do I go about doing it?
What kind of diets and what should I make or can eat?
How many meals a day?


I used to eat (and this was the problem) alot of frozen stuff and just fry it up on the cooker (as I dont have a grill) but now for about 2 months I havent done that at all. Instead I have been eating sandwiches, pizza's (bad I know), chocolate (bad again I know but I have reduced that), gassy juice (bad I know but again I have cut it down alot), pasta (I make it myself), pot noodle (bad I know but cut down)

anyway please do tell me what I can do to help myself lose weight and feel better about myself.

Thanks and I appreciate your time and experiences!

[srmb60]

Morning! and welcome.

Oooo so many questions!

Have you done much reading here at 3FC? The amount of information can be overwhelming, yes?

Let's start with this ... what do you think you'd like to eat? and what can you do for extra exercise?

[JamieJo]

I'm sure others will contribute actual sites to visit. Google Calorie counting and use those sites to figure out how many calories you should be getting each day. I also personally love weight watchers and am a firm believer that if you follow weight watchers, you will loose. I have had a guy go with me when I used to attend meetings and he lost what he wanted to loose in like a month. DARN MEN! It's a great program that really teaches you what you should be eating. Eating every few hours is best...

Make a plan for exercise. I personally do the C25K (Couch to 5K) which is a running program that takes a person who does not run at all to running a 5K in 3 months. I think the site is coolrunners.com for more details on that. Someone on here told me that loosing weight is 90% food intake and 10% exercise...so make sure to get that food in check.

And weight lifting. (I need to do more of this...) but muscle burns lots of calories so hit up that local gym!

Good luck and welcome!!!

[PhotoChick]

AT it's most basic losing weight is eating less and exercising more. It sounds to me like you need to understand some basic nutrition as well.

Ideally your diet should be mostly veggies, then complex carbs (things like whole grain bread, oats, brown rice, etc.), then lean protein and healthy fats.

And then you should get in some form of exercise at least 3x-4x a week. I know you're busy ... but everyone on here is busy. It's a matter of making the time for things that are important to you. Walking, running, lifting weights, working out to a DVD ... whatever activity you like and will do - get to doing it!

.

[Lori Bell]

Hello & Welcome

I like to always remind people that losing weight is FREE! There are some terrific weight loss programs and gyms out there but if you are on a budget, there is no need to spend a dime. Some programs can get very expensive. Remember, if you can read, and if you can move, then you can lose weight. I would recommend walking and cutting back on your processed foods as a first step. If you are busy, you can add steps by taking stairs instead of the elevator, and parking farther from the door to anywhere you go. Replace your noodles with veggies! You will do great!

[firehawk]

ah wow thanks for a warm welcome and for the great advice!
I love walking... believe me. I walk every night actually (clear the mind and stuff) and I never take the elevators, but instead stairs.

you see, I had an unfortunate accident a few years ago which resulted in half my body being weaker than the other half, it was a sporting accident and since them I havent played any sports or done any excersizes. but now I believe it is almost healed this injury of mine (had a sharp blow to the head)


as for extra excersize.... good question. I guess sit ups is something I need to do - but what else?

in regards to food, what should I really eat and when? I am a vegetarian...I do eat *some* meat but not all.

Again, sorry, im a total 101 person when it comes to this stuff so forgive me!

what is the most effective way of losing weight?

[srmb60]

what is the most effective way of losing weight?

IMHO ... eat less, eat clean, cardio and lift weights. Want a blow by blow?

[firehawk]

lol.
eat less huh? true but makes you more hungry I wreckon which means you will eat a big meal next time round.... no?

ok... well what is the best way to get started on losing weight effectively but healthly? What is the right approach in such a situation?

I want to start NOW to be honest. What foods should I eat and when?

[FB]

I eat more now than I did 130 pounds ago and am rarely in discomfort from hunger. The difference is that it primarily consists of lean proteins, healthy fats and a ton of veggies. Proteins and fats naturally curb my hunger. I eat often, 6 smallish meals a day. When first starting out I looked at what my personal trainer and the bodybuilders at the gym were doing - works for me.

[FB]

Oh, you asked for specifics. My food intake at home doesn't vary much:

Chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon, cod, tilapia, (all other seafood is up for grabs too), eggs, peanut butter and whole nuts, cottage cheese (not LF), other cheeses (not LF), flaxseed and just about every veggie out there! Except for lima beans, corn and peas. They just aren't my thing.

Meals are spaced 2-3 hours apart, lean protein at every meal.

I also count calories to make certain I'm in the right range. By sticking to a calorie counting plan nothing, and I mean nothing is ever really off limits.

Exercise for me is weight training 3-5 days a week, some form of cardio 7x per week. Built up to that gradually.

[FB]

In addition, while everyone can tell you what works for them, no one but you can figure out what will work for you. I looked through all diet plans and sort of modged podged my own together. The fun of this is experimenting on yourself. Best of luck!

[cakses]

Eat healthy foods (veggies, fruits, good carbs and good proteins). You don't have to starve yourself at all. Just pick better choices to eat. Drink a LOT of water. 100 ounces a day is perfect, but even 64 oz would be great. Don't drink caloric drinks (soda, juice, starbucks mochas, etc)

Exercise at least 30 minutes a day and up it when you can. Walking is great.

Start there then you can work up from that. Keep it simple at the beginning. You'll be surprised how the body reacts to changing the foods you eat and getting a little exercise!

[firehawk]

thank-you i appreciate that.
indeed I should be eating more fruits and veggies, you are absolutely right and I will do this.

hmm. im not sure what food types contain what exactly. any pointers to this?

for mornings, I usually have a bowl of cereal.
lunch, usually a sandwich
evening meals.... kind of fatty foods I guess (microwave/fried stuff. but also pasta)

[PhotoChick]

"Eat less" isn't the only part of the equation. Eat BETTER is the important part.

If you normally eat non-nutritious, non-filling junk and you eat less of it, then yes, you'll be hungry. Let's say you eat a double cheeseburger every day for lunch. And you decide to eat less, so you cut back to one small cheese burger. Yup. You'll be hungry - both physically, because your body expects more quantity, and emotionally because you're used to eating a bigger burger and you *want* more.

But let's say you replace that double cheeseburger with the exact same calorie value of HEALTHY foods. So for the 550 calories that you would have had with that double cheese burger, you can go to Jason's Deli and have:
1 white meat turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomato and spicy mustard (310 calories)
1 pickle (25 calories)
1 mixed fruit salad with yogurt dip (130 calories)
4 oz of low-fat frozen yogurt in a cup (80 calories)

That's nearly 3x the volume of food you'd get with that cheeseburger, and it's less fat, less sodium, less fat, less cholesterol ... more protein, more vitamins, more fiber.

You have to ditch the mindset that you're going to be hungry, you're going to deprive yourself, all of that "diet" nonsense. When you lose that .. .you'll open up a whole new world of eating that is actually MORE satisfying and more filling and more enjoyable than the old way.

And no, you don't have to go hungry when you're losing weight.

.

[PhotoChick]

Ok, it seems that you're really starting out from scratch here.

So the first thing is that you should start looking at the nutritional values of what you eat. You eat cereal for breakfast. So start reading the labels.

How many calories does a serving have?

How BIG is a serving (measure it out - you're probably eating much more than a single serving)?

Read the ingredients list - on any food the ingredients are listed from biggest to smallest. If sugar, corn syrup, corn sweetener, high fructose corn syrup, or any of those items are listed in the first 4 or 5 ingredients, then what you're eating is not healthy.

How much fiber does it have?

How much protein does it have?

How much sodium does it have?

Read the label for everything you eat. If it's something w/out a label, look it up online.

Start learning the nutritional value of the food you put in your body. You'll start to figure it out: things with more protein, more fiber are good for you. Things with more sugar are not.

Learning some basic nutrition will go a long way towards helpign you in this journey!

.