[canadacatman]

First of all I have been on the forums for a while now and learned a lot.

I started out at 371.2 pounds and with high blood pressure. I started loosing weight by eating right and working out mostly weights. Well I lost 50 pounds then did something really stupid I tried to lift a lot more weight then I could and hurt my neck. Now I can not do much at all and no weights as I can not strain as shoots pain in my neck.

My doctor said I pulled the muscles and since I can not afford therapy I need to live with it.

So fast forward 1 year and still have high blood pressure and for the most part I stopped eating right. I will eat right for 1 week loose 3 pounds then say treat day and that turns into a week or more sometimes. I am addicted to chips and pop and think I have them both daily and I know I need to get rid of them both.

I do not know why I can not eat right anymore maybe it is because I can not work out and hate cardio and can not do much of it because of my weight and the fast I suffer from anxiety and every time my heart rate goes up I panic but the good thing is my heart rate comes down quick which I was told is a good thing.

I looked for help again to get off my blood pressure pills and was always pointed vegan(tried it for 3 weeks and felt tired and week). I want someone to help me with some good foods and lean proteins to eat. What I really need is someone to give me a BIG KICK IN THE A**.

I need off these pills as the side affects are worse then what they are curing.
I do not want anyone to give me vegan options.

I would like to eat 5 meals a day as I hate feeling bloated. Here is what I eat a day when I am eating right.

Morning: oatmeal, 1 cup skim milk, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, blue berries, strawberries.

Lunch: A huge salad with a bean burger.

Supper: Chicken and veggies and brown rice or barley.

As you can see this is not enough calories for being a male over 300 pounds. Thanks why I figure going back to 5 meals a bit smaller.

I need good protein sources and the amount I should eat. When I first started I was told 150 grams of protein a day for someone 371 pounds and it is weird as I had good blood pressure until I started working out and eating that much protein. My doctor never even once said your blood pressure is a bit high then bang on pills.

I read about protein but it seems like every site and person has it different. I was told 0.8 grams per kilo of weight and 0.37 for every pound and that is still over 100 grams.

I was also told that too much protein is bad for the kidneys which affect blood pressure is why I think I got this is the first place.

I would like every ones advice but would love someone to help me that has or had high blood pressure but lowered it and got off all meds eating right.

Weird I use to help people with these problems now I need help again myself.

Thanks for any and all help and have a great day!!!!!!!!!!

[KateB]

First of all everyone is different and what works for one may not work another. I have deiting this time around for 17 weeks and have lost 50 pounds. This is what has worked for me.

First of all I am creature of habit and I need to have some go to menus that are pretty much mindless and pack well for lunches.

Breakfast: M-F I have an Extend protien bar and either Pure Protien or Atkins Advantage protien shake. I choose this because it is easy to grab and go out the door and eat on my way to work in the morning. It is around 300 calories and over 25 grams or protien. Also for years I would eat a donut or cookie and a frappacino. This is a healthier version of days gone by and I don't feel I am "missing out". On the weekend I usually have a couple eggs, some swiss cheese, sometimes I make an omlet with spinach and tomatoes, sometimes not. I occasionally add a whole wheat english muffin, but I find myself doing that less frequently and not missing it.

Lunch: Protien, veggies, fruit. Protien is usually cottage cheese, sometimes grilled chicken breast, or 2 hard boiled eggs. I keep a large bowl of salad in the fridge at all times. I take 2 to 3 cups of salad for my veggies. The salad has romaine (I HATE iceberg lettuce) spinach, shredded carrots, diced cucumber, sweet peppers and green onions. I sometimes add tomato, mushrooms or even diced celery. I do not like a lot of dressing on my salad, 1 tablespoon of a light dressing is enough for me. If I have tomato, hard boiled egg and avocado on my salad then I skip the dressing or even mix in a table spoon of cottage cheese. Sometimes I put the protien on my salad, sometimes I have it on the side. My fruit is typically some kind of berry either fresh or frozen or red grapes.

Afternoon snack fruit (usually and apple) and some protien (either nuts or string cheese)

Supper varies but the basic blue print for my supper is protien (chicken, pork or beef) a starch (baked potato, wild rice, sweet potato, or whole grain bread) veggies ( Itypically have 2 servings of veggies.)

Evening snack, I don't always have an evening snack. It depend on my hunger level and what time I eat supper. Again it is usually fruit and protien (nuts, string cheese or greek yogurt), occasionally I have 3 cups of popped popcorn and some nuts for protien.

My protien serving size is usully 4 oz at noon (or .75 cups of cottage cheese) and 6 oz at supper. I stay away from processed meats, processed anything for that matter. My calorie limit is 1500, though I rarely eat that much, it's typically around 1300 calories a day. (You're a guy, you shold eat more) My main focus is eating over 100 grams of protien and under 125 grams of carbs. I also make sure I eat some form of protien when I eat carbs, this helps control spike in blood sugar.

Right now exercise is hit and miss.

I know this got long, but I hope you can find something useful.

[dgramie]

kate- thanks for the reminder of what really works. I have to get serious again and get this weight off.

[KateB]

I must say that so far for the past 17 weeks. weight loss has seemed almost effortless. I am not hungry, I do not have cravings and I do not feel deprived. FOR ME I know I need to focus on getting enough protien and keeping carbs in check.

You can do it Deb!!