My next weigh in is Friday!

  • Hello,
    Thank you all for welcoming me, since i stopped drinking last week(yes i cheated on the 4th) i havve been curious as to how much (if any) weight i will lose just from no beer drinking. I am serious about losing the 320 lbs of me that i have come to know over the last 5 years. My goal is to lose 100 lbs over the next year, odly enough i have been eating MORE since im not drinking, hopefully my metabolism will speed up! Weight June 29 was 320 hopefully i shed some weight! I have been eating salads(no cheese,meats,dressing) only a little bit of marinade(1 gram of fat per serving),apples, pretzels for snack, cup or two of V8 with 2 pieces of 5 grain bread for dinner over the last 3 days. yes it stinks but i wanted to see if i could do it...so far so good!I think if i can follow that regiment for a couple weeks,maybe switch it up a bit, i should be on my way! Wish me luck! see you on friday! GREG
  • I bet you will lose quite a bit ...I am routing for you! Congratulations on kicking the smelly beverage habit! hooray!
  • Hey Greg! Looks like you're hardly eating anything, given your size. I'm not a professional, but I think that's not enough.

    Have you seen your doctor? That would be a good start to finding out where you're at health wise, and getting a program that's more realistic with regard to your size and goals. Your doctor might refer you to a nutritionist or dietitian who can give you specifics.

    I'm sure you will have lost some weight by Friday, but I also hope you'll find a more healthy way to proceed!


    Jay
  • What is in your salads? Just eating salad veggies (with no protein sources) is likely to cause your body to shut down...not enough calories to fuel your basic metabolic processes, which will prevent weight loss and go against what you're trying to do. A few weeks of drastically low calorie levels and almost no protein could do some serious damage to your ability to lose weight long-term.

    Can you give us a sample day's menu with amounts and ingredients? My gut instinct is that you need some solid protein to fuel yourself, based on what you said above. This would give you more energy and make the change more sustainable.
  • Yep, Greg, you need to eat! Too few calories will slow your metabolism because your body will think you're starving and it will conserve fuel as much as possible. Definitely cut out the alcohol, but do eat healthy foods with a balance of carbs, proteins, and fats, multiple times a day in reasonable portions! Good luck!
  • this is what ive eaten so far today
    Quote: What is in your salads? Just eating salad veggies (with no protein sources) is likely to cause your body to shut down...not enough calories to fuel your basic metabolic processes, which will prevent weight loss and go against what you're trying to do. A few weeks of drastically low calorie levels and almost no protein could do some serious damage to your ability to lose weight long-term.

    Can you give us a sample day's menu with amounts and ingredients? My gut instinct is that you need some solid protein to fuel yourself, based on what you said above. This would give you more energy and make the change more sustainable.
    This morning i had 2 eggs, 2 pieces of 5 grain toast, 1 bowl of raisin bran. had turkey sandwich w light mayo and mustard for lunch,was gonna take salad w garlic herb marinade and apple for dinner, (pretzels for snack) and (since im working afternoons) have a cup of V8 when i get home at 11:00. I thought that would be enough? what do you all think? if not what should i add to it? Thanks, Greg
  • Quote: This morning i had 2 eggs, 2 pieces of 5 grain toast, 1 bowl of raisin bran. was gonna take salad w garlic herb marinade and apple for lunch, (pretzels for snack) and (since im working afternoons) have a cup of V8 when i get home at 11:00. I thought that would be enough? what do you all think? if not what should i add to it? Thanks, Greg
    You are eating wayyyyy too little for your size and not getting adequate nutrients. Remember, when being healthy is your goal, weight loss will come after. Add a couple plain chicken breasts to your salad and olive oil.

    Eat a full dinner. Something like a cup of brown rice, 1-2 cups plain veggie, and 6-8oz lean protein (ie. chicken or steak).

    If you are a male and 6'0 around 300+lbs... really, 2500-3000 calories is a minimum.

    I see you just edited your post so the meal plan is a bit more balanced. Still needs more calories.
  • Here i thought i was eating enough?
    Quote: You are eating wayyyyy too little for your size and not getting adequate nutrients. Remember, when being healthy is your goal, weight loss will come after. Add a couple plain chicken breasts to your salad and olive oil.

    Eat a full dinner. Something like a cup of brown rice, 1-2 cups plain veggie, and 6-8oz lean protein (ie. chicken or steak).

    If you are a male and 6'0 around 300+lbs... really, 2500-3000 calories is a minimum.

    I see you just edited your post so the meal plan is a bit more balanced. Still needs more calories.
    I thought i was eating alot! im gonna have to do some reading up on this stuff cuz i dont want to go about doing it wrong and end up hurting my progress(when it comes). I really thought that would be enough! well, thank you all for opening my eyes! I'll have to add more protein and more calories to the plan!Greg
  • Not nearly enough.

    My goal is always to get some carb, protein, and healthy fat in every meal. Your salad, if it has no protein in it, is really minimal on the calories, and has no protein and may have a limited amount of fat, depending on your dressing. Could you add grilled chicken to it and take that? That'd be a much more balanced meal.

    And you definitely need more than V8 for dinner! Try having, again, protein, fat, and a whole grain carb, plus lots of veggies.

    At your size, you definitely can eat more and still lose weight. One guideline is to never eat less than your BMR in calories per day. You can google "BMR Calculator" for more info on the BMR. Once you have that number, try not to eat less than that on a consistent basis. You'll still lose weight from all the moving around you do and your body will be appropriately fueled.
  • You are making GREAT FOOD CHOICES! Keep it up!
  • Quote: I thought i was eating alot! im gonna have to do some reading up on this stuff cuz i dont want to go about doing it wrong and end up hurting my progress(when it comes). I really thought that would be enough! well, thank you all for opening my eyes! I'll have to add more protein and more calories to the plan!Greg
    Greg,
    You might look at the USDA food pyramid to get a clearer idea of what constitutes a more balanced diet and the sorts of servings you should be shooting for. http://www.mypyramid.gov/
    Peg
  • You've got a great attitude and are eating really healthy foods, so I'm confident that you'll do well! That said, yeah, I do think you need to be eating more. Some people with a lot to lose go on very low calorie diets under their doctors supervision... but even those are somewhat controversial, and it can be downright dangerous if you're not being carefully monitored.

    Check out a web site that helps you choose a calorie goal and lets you track your food intake, and see how many calories you're really eating. I like thedailyplate.com, I know some others like fitday.com. Their recommendations will probably seem really high, and sure you could go lower... but you might be eating HALF of what they recommend right now from what you described! It will at least give you a guideline.

    I also saw in your first post that you said something about following this plan for "a couple weeks"... I'm thinking you just meant those specific foods, and you'll mix it up more afterward... but even that can be risky (if you restrict yourself too much you might be more tempted to eat junk!). The best thing to do is stick to a way of eating that you want to follow for the rest of your life! That's how you keep from gaining the weight back once you're "done" losing.
  • Great start! I do agree with all the others that you should probably eat a bit more- also it will help you not to feel too hungry and stick to your plan and not get discouraged and quit!
    Good call on the beer though, i bet that will help A LOT, especially because beer always makes me want to eat cheetos :-)