[firehawk]

Hi!

I need to lose weight as recently I have gained weight due to work stress and severe personal stress which I am hopefully beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I used to be a waist size of 32 but now between 36 and 38.

I admit, the past 2 months has been nothing but junk food. The odd healthy salad and soup and of course, that doesn't help.

I know I need to cut down my soft drink intake and have water/squash instead.


I don't drink or smoke - never have, never did and I am a vegetarian (do eat fish and quorn products).

I don't know where to begin or what to do in terms of dietry requirements.

I don't know what food is good for me and what is not.
I would appreciate any valuable advice given and sincerely will adhere to that. I know I need to lose weight and ideally, I would like to lose it fast but also maintain it.

I am not a great excersizer and really should begin to do them but given the nature of my work - it is a little impossible especially as of late.

I haven't had breakfast in over 6 months because I haven't had the time and because of my depression to some extent but now I have finished a big bit of work, I am now wanting to "renew" myself.

Anyway, I hope to get some great advice from the intellectual and special women/community that are on this palce.
Many thanks!

[yhahmd]

Men are absolutely welcome.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I find limiting the processed foods I eat has done a world of wonders. If you're not a great exerciser maybe you could look into calorie counting? People here have lost weight doing just that, and doing just that and walking. And yes, cutting down on sodas and stuff is a good idea. I know people that have lost weight and still drank regular soda- but they only have one or two a day, and drink 2-3 glasses of water for every soda. Don't know if you'd be into that. There's also flavored water if making the switch is a little too sudden.

Meats are good, as well as fruit and veg, and dairy in moderation. Bread's okay, too, if you watch how much you eat, or switch over to a better kind.

I'm not very much help, but wanted to say,

Good luck "renewing" yourself and losing!

[zoodoo613]

There are all kinds of ways to lose weight, but most of them eventually boil down to calories vs. calories out. I use fitday.com to track calories. It also has tools to help you decide what a reasonable caloric amount is.

Everyone has a different opinion about what's healthy and what's not, but most people agree that less processed food is better. A good place to start, although not perfect, is to shop primarily from the perimeter of the grocery store, where you'll find the fresh produce, fish, dairy, etc. and to steer clear of the central aisle with the chips and cookies and that sort of thing. It's not fool-proof: beans are on the interior, hot dogs on the exterior, but you get the idea.

[Nola Celeste]

Hello, Firehawk. Men are very welcome here too. There's a men's forum, but you're entirely welcome in any part of the forums.

Getting rid of soft drinks is a great start. You'll probably find that drinking plenty of water helps keep you from becoming too hungry. Drink lots of it; it's a necessary component of the reaction that catabolizes fat.

It's up to you if you want to go on a low-carb diet or try calorie counting. I'm a calorie counter because carbs don't affect me negatively; other people find that a carby diet makes them ravenously hungry. You'll have to play around a little until you find out where you fall.

Whether you count calories or watch carbs or go with something else, try keeping a food journal. People eat 10%-20% fewer calories a day just by writing stuff down and being aware of what they're putting in their mouths, studies have found. They aren't even consciously dieting--just watching and recording. You can keep a journal online via the Daily Plate or Fitday (there are others too, but I can't think of them offhand); you'll only spend ten or fifteen minutes out of your day recording your food intake. It's time well spent.

I'm guessing that as you're pescetarian, you might also eat eggs and dairy products? If you do, then eggs can be a tremendous help to you. Cut your calories in egg dishes by taking out half or more of the yolks. For example, breakfast can be a three-egg omelet that contains only one yolk (toss the other two or save them to make egg tempera paints or feed them to a dog ). Stuff it full of non-starchy vegetables and you'll have a huge breakfast or lunch item for well under 200 calories.

Best of luck, and I'm glad you found us; this site has been a huge help to me and my husband (who doesn't post, but who asks me for 3FC advice regularly ).

[bargoo]

Men are welcome, we have several very succesful men here. Check around the forums. You are welcome to post anywhere you feel like and you don't have to be limited to one. There are as many diets as people ! I have tried many and found calorie counting works best for me. Good Luck !

[BillBlueEyes]

Hi firehawk -

Yep, males are indeed welcome; there are a bunch of us around and about, on many of the forums, including the new Men's Corner that just started in January of this year.

It seems to be a good idea to choose yourself a diet plan and an exercise plan, and find the support groups (e.g. here on 3FC) where you can get support and be accountable.

There's an active Vegetarian Thread ( alas, called vegetarian chicks, but you'll be welcomed).

And there are a bunch of exercise and fitness threads in the Fitness Forums where you are likely to find folks at whatever level of exercise you're currently contemplating.

LOL, you made me go google "quorn products" - cool stuff, that.

Keep looking about. Keep posting. Glad you're here.