getting back in shape

[zeronalo]

I decided a few years ago to eat better and lose a few pounds. I kind of did it.

I went from 211, after a bad back injury,to a pretty consistent 196 and got my blood pressure meds cut in half. My new goal is 180 and no meds - blood pressure or cholesterol. I joined the gym a month ago with a friend of mine with similar goals and went at it. I am now down to 190 - 192. And mostly I feel better which is a big bonus.

what kills me is finding good stuff to eat and snack on. I eat a pretty healthy dinner every night as I like to cook and like to eat fish and veggies, but during the day, while working, I'm just screwing it up. (I need to ban junk food from the office)

I need some healthy ideas for snacking on the go - I got the granola but you can only eat so much and fruits and veggies are OK but............damn sometimes I need a cookie or 2.

Freddy

 

[Lungo]

These aren't too bad for you and only 130 calories per cookie. How many calories are you eating a day?

 

[andreww]

Im a small guy and when I hit just over 190 lbs two years back I decided I needed to do something about it. At new years I made a resolution to be at 150 lbs for a vacation 3 months later. I decided to go on a fruit diet at work, eating as many oranges, apples, bananas, etc. as I pleased, and completely eliminating junk food. For dinners I simply tried to avoid bread and too many potatoes, and cut back portion sizes. Every evening I exercise for about a half hour (situps, pushups, boxing in the winter, running in the summer). Within 2 months I'd dropped nearly 50 lbs. and nearly 3 years later I've kept the weight off. To be successful you need to have willpower and an app to monitor your weight. You will soon see that you are loosing a steady amount daily, but you will also see how much a slip in your diet will cost you. Once you quantify how much of a workout is required to burn off a cheeseburger and fries, they suddenly wont seem so appetizing. What I've come to realize is that its okay to treat yourself with a junk meal once in a while, but you just have to follow that up with a few days of healthy eating.

 

[HOT-BRIT]

exercise! eat smart!
got to be consistent and have perseverance

 

[SLewis]

Doesn't matter what foods you eat as long as you are in a caloric deficit each day. Know how many calories you need to maintain your weight, and cut that by about 300-500.

You can eat all sorts of healthy snacks but if you're at calorie maintnence/surplus everyday it's not gonna do much.

Seems like you're right on track though so I'll just say substitute junk food with fruit, nuts, or yogurt. Hell, combine 'em and you've got one healthy snack that also tastes great.

.

 

[rcole_sooner]

damn sometimes I need a cookie or 2.

Kinda like wanting to quit smoking, but still having the occasional cigarette.

For me it don't work that way.

When dieting to loose weight, all the junk has to go. Any deviation and results suffer.

We just gotta make up our mind what we really want.

Once we decide what we want, then we can focus on it, and stick to it.

Any half-assed I might wanna do this crap, just might as well not be said.

It is all or nuthin'.

Plus it can't be temporary, it has to be a for-life change.

Then I find I can stick to it, at least the majority of the time.

 

[Alligatorbling]

try dehydrated fruit/veggie chips/snacks.

i tried some dried green beans..... those things were good!... and i do not like green beans all that much lol

 

[Marshall & Moonshine]

Waimanalo??!
Surf!!!
That's my plan, but the CA water is freezing in March.

 

[NeptuneBlue]

No snacking! Drink more water. And stuff.

 

[andreww]

Or you could just start using meth or crack. Not good for you but you can't argue the results!

 

[NeptuneBlue]

This is an extremely difficult test of willpower - mind over stomach. I barely eat anything - small breakfast, lunch is really one of two afternoon snacks I usually have, small ones, whenever I feel starved - I don't let myself eat much - and then MAYBE a big juicy steak once or twice a week for dinner. I don't trim my steaks - I eat rib-eyes untrimmed
Understand too - I have severe dietary restrictions, so it's a lot easier for me to avoid eating besides a small snack - an apple or two, maybe a hotdog - throughout the day, because I CAN'T eat junk food... pure potato chips being the one bothersome exception . But to loose weight, watching your diet is more important than lifting weights or stuff.


0.02

 

[Ace1432]

when i was in 8th grade about 9 years ago i topped out at 220 lbs-i am only around 5' 6".
i spent most, if not all of my time playing video games and eating doritos and drinking atleast 3-5 cans of soda a day.

during my freshman year of HS, i decided that things would not be fun unless i changed my body image. I weened myself off of the crap i was used to eating and basically went all natural/vegan. that combined with tons of excercize dropped me down to 180 within 10 months.
i continued my good dieting throughout the rest of my highschool years and was able to drop another 40 lbs by my senior year and i stayed around 140 for awhile.

you cant baby yourself. we all KNOW what is good for us and we still make the conscious decision to eat garbage.

the solution for me was to just keep the house stocked with fruits and vegetables. whenever i got hungry, instead of grabbing a candy bar, i grabbed an apple or an orange. if you are truly serious about it, like i said you cant baby yourself at all, no "okay i had a good week, i am allowing myself a few cookies."

its mind over matter. if YOU cant control yourself who can? and if you NEED someone else to push you along, IMO, you are weak.

 

[HOT-BRIT]

no alcoholic beverages or soda

 

[Shawn Lutz]

That is awesome man,good for you man.I have to do cardio or I get high blood pressure and I hate the medications so I just stay in shape and try to eat as healthy as I can.

Apple juice and Niacin also help keep the bad cholesterol. I take between 500-1000mg of Niacin every morning with my Centruim muti-vitamin.

 

[zeronalo]

no alcoholic beverages or soda

I cut soda out long ago when my blood sugar got too high and I was afraid of becoming diabetic as its in my family. Beer on the other hand is going to be a problem. I just plain like beer. I reduced what I drink but life without a cold beer with my friends and I might as well go back to being fat.

I am absolutely not giving up alcohol - I'll put in more time on the treadmill if I have to.

Freddy

 

[zeronalo]

I'm going to make my first journey into a health food store and see what they have for snacks. The dried green beans sound pretty good. I picked up some kale chips at Wholefoods once and they tasted like cardboard so no more of those.

I've never really been into the workout thing before and it's pretty cool since I have a buddy with similar goals. if I had to do it by myself I would but it's better to see the progress since he's starting off fatter than I am! I think I can hit 180 with just the workout but the goal is not only to lose weight but to get off the meds and get into shape. Seeing the progress is awesome and is a great motivator in itself.

Freddy

 

[nauc]

its all about calories. you eat less, or burn more than your body needs, you lose weight

this helps too...

eat 6 times a day, every 3 hours. that keeps your energy up, and keeps the calories burning

eating 2-3 times a day = a roller-coaster ride for your body = makes it harder to stick to the diet

 

[rcole_sooner]

I am a 6 meal/snack a day eater now.

They have to be small compared to what a meal was. It is essentially the same 3 meals (or what those meals should have been) divided into 6 meals.

It works.

 

[Bud Stoner]

Keep the calorie count low, around 1700 calories a day.

Read all the labels for everything you eat, especially fat from calories content.

And do lots of cardio.

A good snack is Chabani Greek yogurt.

You would be amazed at the amount of fat in food. Just for giggles, read the label on a Snickers candy bar!

 

[zeronalo]

I heard that's a better system as well. I'm just trying to get the snacks into something healthier for me with less calories. It's a lifestyle change for sure, but at 180lbs or even less I'm going to be in better shape than I have been in in 20 years. Hell I feel better now just getting some cardio going.

if I find anything good I'll post it up.

Freddy