Hey guys, I need some suggestions on what I can do with my busy schedule. I know a lot of excuses stem from not having time to workout and what not so I'm trying to figure out what I CAN do. First off, I'm 20 years old and I weigh 320lbs. I'm 5'8 though, and have been told that I don't even look like I weight that much, and sometimes I don't even feel that way either being that I manage to fit into 2x jeans and such. My weight is in my upper body mostly. Anyway, I go to school from 8am-3 in the afternoon, and then I work from 4-12. Of course that hour between is spent getting from school to work. By the time I get home, it's about quarter to 1 in the morning, then I have to get up at 6 and do it all over again. I work in the emergency room, so I get enough walking there to just maintain my weight. I haven't went over 320 in months, and if I do lose, it comes right back on again. When I first started losing, I was at 345lbs, and I got down to 290lb in about 3 months, but that was because I wasn't in school, and only working weekends, so I was walking 15 laps around the track near my house, about 3 miles. Anyway, with all that said, I guess the most logical thing would be is to just watch what I eat since there's not MUCH else I can do currently, right? I live with my sister, who doesn't cook, and I can't cook either, so I've tried limiting calories with lean pockets and lean cuisines, but honestly that's not something I can do FOREVER, you know? It's probably not good for you either, so I'm kind of stuck on what I should do. Maybe the answer's right infront of me, and I'm just not seeing it. Can someone point it out to me?

Well, Virgo, you definitely have a busy schedule. I'm assuming you have a few days off between school and the job right?? You could concentrate on trying to work out on your days off, but what it boils down to is limiting your calorie intake all week. I do Weight Watchers, Flex Points Plan, and it works for me and fits into my lifestyle. You have to find a program that fits into your lifestyle and make a commitment to stick with it. I am off on the weekends, so I normally cook two to three different recipes (ones that will either keep in the fridge for more than 3 days, or ones that can be divided and frozen). This way, I have lunch and dinner handy to grab when I walk out the door. Get a bag of salad mix and divide into equal portions in Ziplock of Gladware containers and have them stocked in the fridge. Do as much preplanning on your days off that you can and always try to bring your lunch, dinner and snacks to school or work with you. That's my advice (for what it's worth!!). Hope it helps and good luck!!!

Hi VirgoChic. Have you considered wearing a pedometer to find out how many steps you take in a day? The minimum we should get is 10,000, but if you can get just 2000 more in a day, you will have walked an extra mile. Then, simply work in the extra steps throughout your normal routine -- maybe park a little farther away from school or work, take the stairs rather than the elevator, etc.

I personally was not successful on low calorie diets because I never felt satisfied and, like you, didn't think it was something I could live with forever. However exactly one year ago yesterday I began low carbing -- not dieting really, just cutting out sugar, flour, white rice, potatoes and foods with highly refined carbs. I was pretty strict for the first 3 weeks to jumpstart the weightloss and get the addictive carbs out of my system.

I travel at least one week a month for work and have found that it is very easy to do low carb on the run -- boiled eggs, cheese, pepperoni, celery, low glycemic fruit. Plus it's easy to find thngs in restaurants that I can eat -- there are always salads to choose from, and usually meats and veggies.

Perhaps you can use your busy life as an advantage. Eat more often, but prepare healthy snacks that are portable. And know how much you are already walking and do what you can to add more steps during the day.

Good luck with your weightloss journey.

Hello! Feel free to join the discussion on the numbered threads. This is a great support group.

I can't even imagine living on the amount of sleep you do. I certianly understand the lack of exercise though. Mine is laziness instead of lack of time though.

I agree with DoxieMom and I also do WW. Even though I never go to meetings, the plan itself is sound and if you use it as a lifestyle change it can work well. I personally could never live with the low-carb stuff. However, the "everything in moderation" approach is very easy for me.

You'll want to watch portions closely and, if necessary, take your meals and snacks with you. I try to have three meals and 2-3 snacks a day. I'm obsessive about reading lables at this point. Even on vacation, buying chips on the road, I read every label until I found the ones with the lowest calories and fat content. I also agree that putting just a few extra steps into your daily routien is good. I hate to exercise, but I will take the steps instead of the elevator or park in the back of the lot, instead of the front.

I usually make a large enough meal at night that I can save 1/2 for lunch the next day. I know you say you can't cook, but I bet you'll surprise yourself if you try. Stir-frys, salads, even the pre-packaged noodles or rice and sauce mixes are simple. Throw some veggies and chicken in for a one-pot casserole. Of course, WW isn't a low-carb approach. Especially the way I do it. We have lots of sandwiches, pastas, rice etc. Granted, we try to get the more healthy kind, but it's still a high carb, low fat approach to dieting. And it works for me, although it might not for everyone.

Good luck!

Hello VirgoChic,
On an email list I belong to this is what one woman does for work:
"Every week I buy raw spinach, mixed veggies, slivered almonds, tuna
packets, deli-style turkey or chicken, fat free cheese, low-cal
dressing, and yams. I mix up a salad and nuke the yam. It only costs
around $30 bucks for the week, feeds me 10 times for $3 a pop, and
takes only 4 minutes per meal to prepare. "

I suggest anything you can make without cooking.

I use a lot of bag salads of different types. Variety is necessary so I don't get bored and get the nutritents I need.

Fresh fruit, raw veggies cut up, whole grain or whole wheat breads [sprouted bread is best], tuna packets, smoked salmon, low fat cottage cheese, low fat or fat free cheese [string chees], low fat dressing, almonds, walnuts, imitation crab [great on a salad with raw veggies], instant oatmeal packets plain and mix with a chopped apple and cinnamon [although not as good for you it would get you breakfast] etc.

For breakfast I eat a variety of foods: 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites for scrambled eggs or an open faced omelet; Weetabix Cereal with fat free yogurt or milk and berries or banana; oatmeal with protein powder, milk, 1/2 apple, etc.

I also make the meat part of my meal ahead of time if I buy it in bulk. For instance I bought two huge slabs of salmon. I marinated and then baked it. Prep time is about 5 minutes. Cook time is 30 minutes. The most time taken is dividing up the fish to freeze it. PM me and I'll share the easy recipe and the same with the omelet.

Since muscle burns more than fat burns, try buying some weights [2, 5 and 10 to start] and spend 5 to 15 minutes lifting weights every other day. I've got Fibromyalgia so I had to start small. I'm up to 5 pound weights and am finally ready to go higher. There's lots of books on weight lifting as well as web sites so you can learn how to do it correctly. If you don't have time at work, try right before school. Make sure you eat a balanced meal afterwards because your muscles will need water and carbs to grow. Don't worry about bulking up either. It takes huge weights to do that.

My trainer recommends weights over exercise emphasis. I was going the opposite way, cardio over weights. His reasoning is muscle continues to burn fat all day long [and while asleep] whereas cardio only burns fat while you do it.

Wow you sure are a busy person.... when do you sleep!

Wow, VirgoChick, are you my twin from another life?? I totally hear you on the schedule. I'm not currently in school (finished that up bout a year and a half ago), but I took the plunge and moved closer to a big city (DC), so my living expenses just about quadrupled I, therefore, get the privilege of working 2 jobs instead of just one. My schedule for the past few months has been very similar to yours. I get up about 4:30am so I can be at the office for job #1 by 6am. I work there until 2pm (I'm salaried, so I don't take a lunch break and just eat at my desk--otherwise, I would have to work till 3). Then I have to work at job #2 (either hostessing or serving at Ruby Tuesday restaurant) from 4pm until, umm, I go home (anywhere from 8pm-midnight, depending on how busy it is and whether I am serving or hostessing). So I totally feel your pain. Also, you're a little taller than me (I'm 5'5...okay, okay, 5' 4.5--close enough!), so we seem to have about the same weight loss goals. Here's been my hectic and crazy experience:

I tried the low-carb thing. Worked great, but it is dang near impossible to stick to. Then I tried the low-calorie thing. Worked (slower, but still in the right direction). I did like you--I used prepared foods like Lean Pockets (I actually like the new Lean Pockets Ultra even more than the regular Hot Pockets!) and frozen meals and such. However, I then had a check-up with my doctor, and my blood pressure was getting high. As it turns out, all of those prepared foods, even though lower in calories, and chock full o sodium! So, I had to nix the prepared foods.

For the past few weeks, I have just been eating a lot of fruit (I buy mostly frozen fruit since I certainly don't have time to go to the store more than once a week for fresh produce). I don't like veggies very much (my taste buds reject them ), but I try to at least eat salads sometimes. However, I don't buy lettuce or even bagged salad mixes because they go bad before I can use them all, so I always end up throwing some away, and like I said, I only go shopping once a week (if that), so I can't buy it as I need it, ya know? So usually, I get my salad at a grocery store or restaurant where they have a salad bar. That way, I know I am only putting healthy stuff in my salad (and not haveing a prepared salad full of cheese and bacon and heavy dressing, etc.).

As of yesterday, I am actually on the Idiot Proof Diet. It's almost low-carb, but on some days, you can have pasta or bread, and you still get a lot of fruit (which I love), so it works for me so far. The most important thing I can say to you is PLAN AHEAD! I hate to do it, but on Sundays, I spend a hunk of time in the kitchen. I hate cooking. Even more than cooking, Ihate preparing to cook and cleaning up after cooking However, I know it is necessary for me to reach my goal. I can handle cooking on 1 day a week. It hasn't killed me so far I cook things like chicken, veggies, brown rice, and whole-grain pasta, and I cut up any fresh produce I have and toss them in plastic containers in my fridge. Then I separate out all of the food I cooked into separate little Gladware containers and stack in the fridge or freezer. That way, I have a ton of meals ready to go--just grab a Gladware and toss it in my bag...1 for lunch, 1 for dinner, and usually a snack of fruit (sliced apples or grapes--usually something I can eat in the car without making too much of a mess!).

As for exercise, just do what you can. Anything is better than nothing. Even if you can only workout twice a week, it's better than not at all. I'm lucky in that my jobs are located pretty close together, so travel time isn't a huge factor. I get to go to the gym for 30 minutes on the elliptical in between jobs (though I may be replacing this with strength training once I get up the courage to go to the weights section with the college athletes and big jocks working out on their lunch breaks ).

I can't stress it enough--plan ahead. Don't buy fresh produce if it'll rot before you use it. Don't leave a whole loaf of bread out to get moldy before you use it all (bread freezes really well to make it last longer). I buy frozen veggies and fruits, canned fruits packed in juices (NOT in syrup), and a few canned veggies (like diced tomatoes--can't get those frozen). I'm going to stop now before I take up another 27 pages of my babbling, but I hope some of this helps you. If you need any other ideas or suggestions or just some support (like I said, we seem to be in similar positions), feel free to PM me anytime (I get bored a lot at job #1, so I check my 3FC often ).

I agree with the make-it-ahead suggestion. This is called "investment cooking." Some folks even do a whole month's worth of meals in a day and freeze it up, but that would be overkill in your situation.

Start easy. On your days off, try a recipe. Split it up into serving portions and freeze for later. Even the most inexperienced cook can learn, if you just try one easy recipe at a time, then see how it goes. That's how I got my husband to cook. Asked him what he wanted to learn to make. Cheese souffle, of all things. So I helped him find a simple recipe, and he tried it. Now it's one of his Sunday brunch specials. If he can do it, anyone can.

Not vouching for the healthiness of all these recipes, but here are some good places to start.

Can't Boil Water, for very beginning cooks: http://www.cantboilwater.com/
Recipe-zaar's site for beginner cooks: http://www.recipezaar.com/r/153
A fairly fun online "course" for new cooks: http://www.azcentral.com/home/food/cooking101/
Some healthy recipes that seem fairly simple: http://healthy.cdkitchen.com/

And if you've never considered investment cooking before, and aren't sure where to start, check out http://www.gourmetspot.com/features/planningahead.htm
It is geared more toward folks who are cooking enough to feed a whole family for a month, but the basics are the same. Plan your recipes, cook them, package them for dinners and lunches, freeze them until ready, and use some sort of tracking system so you know what you have. (I use a write-on-wipe-off board that hangs on my freezer, and when I use something up, I wipe it off. That way at a glance I can see what meals I have ready.)

You could get a membership at Curves.. the workout there is only 30 minutes and its pretty easy as well.